Lighthouse P1

Posted on Thu Apr 23rd, 2026 @ 11:03am by Cassandra Lennox & Bartholomew Addington & Lola ‘Myth’ McDowell & René Rouen & Albert 'Bert' Smith & Victoria Bell

2,695 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: The Light House
Location: Coastal Path Between Thistledrift and the Lighthouse
Timeline: 18 December 2012, 1600 hours (4pm)

The walk from the village to the shore had been a slow walk with people unaccustomed to walking after being inside the walls for 2 long but as they got up on to the cliff path it was much easier. The cliff path was wide and open they could see for miles around which was why Cassandra had chosen that route so they could see things coming towards them as much as the lighthouse would see them coming. “It’s quite a clear day.” Bartholomew said breaking the silence as he looked up from his binoculars again.

René glanced at Bartholomew. "Did you see any signs of survivors or the Soulless? We should try and find out what we're up against."

“I would have mentioned,” Bartholomew commented with a small smile as Cassie shook her head. “But not close enough yet. I was checking our route.” He added as he indicated the map and showed where he was showing.

"Anything of interest?" Barr asked before blowing into his hands to warm them up.

“Sky, ocean, snow.” Bartholomew said smiling as he looked at the group. “No undead.” He assured.

“Come on let’s get around the cove and we should be able to see more.” Cassandra said firmly before people’s anxieties got the better of them. They had a good hours worth of sunlight to see and work out what was truly going on. The woman took a sip out of her water bottle and carried on it the the fresh layer of snow.

René trudged on through the snow covered path. He fell back a few meters to walk beside Lola. He glanced sideways at her, his expression concerned. "How are you doing?”

Lola smiled as the man fell back and walked with her. Bartholomew took the hint and stepped back even more to cover their back just incase but it was so clear and open it would be hard to sneak up. “Wishing I was home in my stupid.” She admitted fiddling with the radio at her bet.

René watched Lola fidget with her gear. He noticed the makeshift spear and remembered Samuel's words. He decided in that moment that she needed a proper weapon. Not just for dealing with the undead, but something with which to defend herself even behind the walls. He returned Lola's smile with one of his own. "Let me know if you need any help with you gear."

“It has been a long time since I have been outside.” Lola admitted. She was not about to admit that the last time had been to help out Nathan Crawford to help something with the Europa.

“Been months and months.” Bartholomew commented.

"You haven't missed much." Bert replied over hearing the conversation as he rubbed his hands together trying to keep his hands warm.

Rene nodded. "Oui, life on the road does have its unique set of challenges. Nothing insurmountable though as long as you keep a keen eye out for water, food and shelter." He shivered as a gust of wind picked up. "Though, I could do without the English weather sometimes."

"Ain't that the truth, frenchy." Bert replied with a smirk. "The weather can't be that different to France though!"

Rene looked around at the snow covered landscape and gave a half nod, half shake of his head. "The snow perhaps. I was referring to the rain as well. England is the wettest environment I've ever been in."

The group was about a hundred meters from the top of the rise they were climbing. René picked up his pace to catch up with Cassandra. "Mademoiselle, will we be able to see the lighthouse from there?" He pointed to the barren hilltop they were approaching.

Bartholomew held out his binoculars to the woman who quickly took them and crouched down to look across the expanse. She sighed instantly as she spotted the lighthouse and the undead surrounding them making escape impossible for anyone alive inside impossible. She glanced to her left as Bartholomew joined her and she passed back the binoculars back to him. He let out a whistle as he saw the scene. “Looks like they came under attack and zombies heard and joined the fray?” He commented as the pair joined the group.

"May I?" René held out his hand for the binoculars.

Bartholomew paused putting the binoculars back in his pocket as he heard the voice behind him. “Get down.” The older man hissed knowing that if the undead saw they would be heading in their direction before they could form a plan.

René slowly crouched down, avoiding sudden movement was one key factor in not attracting the attention of the undead. His hand still outstretched for the binoculars. "How many?"

“How many do you class as a horde?” Cassandra said as she indicated that Bartholomew hand over the binoculars.

"15 or 20. Anything more is a mass Id say." The Londoner commented.

"I would say 20 or more counts as a horde and that is a good 30," Cassandra commented, smiling at Bert. "I could probably take out a few before they get to us as i bet they are slow with the weather. A few are naked, so they will be slower than expected."

"Brilliant," Lola commented with a roll of her eyes. She hated it when they decayed enough to start losing clothes.

René peered through the binoculars at the undead outside the light house, then at the lighthouse itself before handing the binoculars back to Bartholomew. "The ones outside aren't the problem. We can draw them off with a distraction easily enough. It's what's inside the lighthouse that concerns me. Room to room fighting in tight confines will be the most dangerous part."

“Let’s see what we draw out into the open and then we can tackle inside.” Cassandra said quietly. “I do not want to distract them as they’ll come back. We need to destroy and find out why I heard came here.”

“Aye, there is nothing here for them,” Bartholomew said aloud what she was thinking. “Any more luck raising the person on the radio?” He asked, directing the question to Lola who shook her head.

“Nope, and the Europa has not heard anything either.” Lola frowned a little as she adjusted the earpiece she had on.

"Well then..." Cassandra sighed and shifted both her quivers to allow access. "Let's get going, then I suppose." The woman indicated that they should get going before it got any later.

René rested his hand on the hilts of his weapons as the group moved forward to engage the herd of undead.

Bert pulled his bow off his shoulder with his right hand while his left reached back for an arrow from his arrow pouch. He put the arrows small v into the cord before pulling back and taking aim at the closest rotter. He released it, mere seconds later the target was down. A direct hit through the eye socket. However, he already had a second arrow in place and was taking aim for his next target.

As they approached, Cassandra purposely stepped on a stick so that they turned. The first Zombie was somewhat decayed but, thankfully, dressed, missing an eye, random chunks of flesh, and a hand. Cassandra held up her bow and arrow and let it fly through the air. It hit true, and the zombie hit the floor.

René pulled his rapier and dirk from their scabbards and took position in the middle of the line of archers. He held steady, despite his impulse to rush in. He was realizing his impulsiveness was becoming rather annoying to Cassandra.

Bartholomew pulled out his lance and grinned at it. It had been the best thing he had stolen after ending up in a forbidden planet for the night right at the beginning of the undead. "I really owe some nerd for designing this." He breathed making Lola smile.

Smith released another arrow, then another, then another. Each time a rotter went down but they continued to close in on their position. He quickly placed his bow over his head and onto his back before quickly drawing his knife.

Cassandra turned to a few zombies before they got too close, and they would all need to engage in hand-to-hand. Cassandra pulled out the light mace she liked to use.

René took a few steps forward. "Make a wedge. Don't let them slip through or get in behind us." He took a few deep breaths as he brandished his weapons for the coming melee.

"Bartholomew calls it a circle of power." Lola sighed as the first Zombie came in her direction. She whipped it with one end of her spear to send the zombie to the floor before she stabbed it in the head. She was used to the momentum of the process but found herself tiring after the fifth time. Bartholomew noticed instantly and changed position with her with a wink.

"I do call it that for this reason." Bartholomew laughed a little as his lance went through the head of a naked zombie. It was a slower one, thankfully, that joined the growing pile. He glanced over and saw Cassandra stepping back a few steps and using her arrows to get the ones coming out of the lighthouse, hearing the noise.

Pushing the closest undead into the couple behind it, leaving all three unsteady on their feet, Bert quickly ran his knife through each of their temples. Spray of bloody hit him on the face, but he continued to take down their foe without taking so much as a breath.

René focused on the centre of the herd closing in on them, thrusting his rapier into the approaching throng, only using the dirk in his left hand when pressed by two or more closing in at the same time. He began singing. Hoping that his voice would attract more of the Soulless towards him and spare the others.

"Wash your face," Bartholomew said to Bert, holding out a water bottle to the man as he took another one out. "Lola, can you do your thing? Rene's singer is not the best." The man asked as Lola nodded as she stabbed another zombie. She slowly pulled out a small speaker, pressed play, and it started to play a random song. The man smiled fondly at the girl as she chucked it into the snow.

René dispatched another zombie and shifted position briefly to stab another breaking through towards Lola's right side. He glanced briefly at her before another two lurched forward.

Smith took the bottle splashed the water over his face. It was cold which was the most shocking. He then tossed the bottle back to Bart. "Cheers." He called out as he went back to work carving his way through the horde.

Several zombies headed to where the speaker was, allowing Cassandra to slip behind them and stab them with her light mace. "Start moving around." She instructed as the Zombies merged to the music a little as it distracted them and drew out a few more from inside.

A shot rang out from the top of the lighthouse and a zombie turning towards Cassandra jerked before it's arm went limp as it was reaching for Thistledrift's leader. The arm fell of the rest of the way from the mangled remains of a shattered shoulder.

"Do we have a friend?" Bert called out as he continued to down the dead and move around the horde.

"Apparently." René dispatched two of the Soulless then glanced up at the lone figure with long red hair. He turned his attention back to the fight at hand. Nearly half the Soulless were down. "Let's finish these things and get inside."

“It’ll be the person who put out the distress call.” Cassandra pointed out as she shoved back one of the undead and stabbed it in her head. She frowned as another shot rang out. “Stop shooting you’ll bring more.” Cassandra yelled. Weapons were not a thing that you often heard in UK before the downfall but now it was rarely used as the noise brought more more miles around.

"The more the merrier." Bert joked as slammed his knife through the temple of a rotter.

René was focused on dispatching the remaining Soulless. Another minute or two and the outside should be clear. Then the tricky part would happen. Clearing the building and lighthouse tower.

Victoria looked down from her perch on the outer rail atop the lighthouse. She gave a thumbs up and scanned the horizon quickly searching for other undead. She ducked back inside and began preparing for the arrival of the would be rescuers.

Smith slashed at a rotter almost taking it head completely off. It fell to the floor, not dead but unable to move. He slid his knife into it's holder and pulled out his bow and drew an arrow before letting it go hitting it's target in the eye socket and down it tumbled. "That all of them?"

Rene quickly glanced around the battlefield. The only ones standing were them. However, he saw three undead slowly crawling across the snow covered ground. No real threat per se, but he thought it best to dispatch them anyway. He walked over and stabbed two in the head, but hesitated on the last one. It was a young lad of perhaps 8 or 9 in rags. He couldn't bring himself to dispatch the undead child.

Cassandra turned and saw the child zombie. She did not hesitate and let her arrow fly through the hair and dispatch the boy. “That’s all of them out here.” She said stowing her bow over her shoulder and pulled out her short sword. “I am going to go in. Bartholomew follow.” He was the only one she trusted to have her back.

“Yes ma’am.” The southerner said quietly as he stepped over a few zombies.

René looked at Lola and Albert. He gripped the hilts of his weapons. "We need to help clear the inside with Miss Lennox and Mister Addington."

"Cass will call us when she is ready. She and Bartholomew will be okay." Lola said, looking at the zombies that they had destroyed there. There were several moments where the sound inside was a lot of tumberling.

"You guys can come in now," Cassandra called. "Close the door behind you." She added as Lola took the first step inside, to what had to be the locker room for the men that used to live here to protect the lighthouse.

Bert busied himself collecting his arrows while he waited to be given the all clear. He placed them in their holder one at a time, wiping them on the body he retrieved them from. Hearing Cassandra give the all clear he headed towards the lighthouse entrance.

René glanced around the outside one last time before entering the lighthouse after everyone else. He closed the door and bolted it shut. He looked at the staircase. "The generator room?"

"Funky." Bert commented as he visually scanned the badly lit room. "Guessing it just needs some maintenance, seeing as he has been used for a while?"

"It's been used. Why the team are here and why we have been sent here because the lights have gone out and the Europa cannot get back." Cassandra whispered as she indicated that they would need to go up to rescue the person who had been shooting down to help them.

René stepped over to the spiral staircase and glanced up. The woman who had provided cover fire was on the top level. He glanced at Cassandra. "Do we go straight to the top or clear each floor of Soulless as we go?"

"Clearing each floor as we go would make the descent easier. How much time do we have before the ship needs this operational?" Bert asked.

"They needed it yesterday," Cassandra said softly and glanced up at the stairs. "Let's go then." She sighed and started up the stairs, leading the way in the semi-darkness that was the waning light bouncing through the windows and the light from their torches.

 

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