The Pub

Posted on Fri May 9th, 2025 @ 8:37pm by Lola ‘Myth’ McDowell & Juliet Parrish
Edited on on Fri Sep 12th, 2025 @ 9:33am

1,409 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Safe Harbour
Location: The Pub
Timeline: 01 December 2012

The pub had always been Lola's favourite part of the town before the zombies, but now in this new world they all lived in, the community it offered on dark winter nights was what kept her alive. She had only just been old enough to enjoy the atmosphere for a few years before the zombies, and now, with no alcohol, it was different, but the warmth of the fire and the people were what she was searching for as she slipped inside and saw that people were already gathering. She gathered up a bowl of soup and a cup of tea and sat down in her usual seat.

She always sought out people after a radio watch, she had just been a runner for the local radio station when it had all started but after being the only person left in the team she had taken over shifts to provide information until now she was an operator who tried to keep communication open in daylight hours with the solar generator that they had.

Juliet had closed the infirmary and decided to go to the pub for a meal instead of climbing the stairs to her little apartment and fixing herself some dinner. She spotted Lola walking to her usual table as she entered. She joined the young woman after grabbing a cup of coffee and bowl of soup. "Hey there, Lola. Mind if I join you?"

Lola looked up mid gulp of her tea when the older woman appeared. She quickly nodded trying her best to not down the gulp when it was so hot but indicated the empty seat across from her. “Not at all.” She finally coughed through with a smile. “How has your day been?”

Juliet shrugged. "Not too bad. Trevor brought in his children to be looked at. Nothing serious, a few scrapes and scratches from scrambling up a tree when a group of the undead surrounded them passed the wall."

“Well that was good that you patched them up but what were they thinking going out the walls?” Lola wondered shaking her head at the worry that the children would have caused their dad. She smiled as some people came in and nodded in their direction before going in search of meals.

Juliet let out a sigh. "Alicia said they went out to find wild strawberries for Trevor's birthday. You know how much he likes them. Anyway, seems the kids were saved by a messenger with a letter and package for Cassie. Johnathan swears he fought off a hundred of the undead to save them. Alicia said he was a brave and handsome knight, but it was only about a dozen or so of the things. Not sure who to believe. He's nine and she's twelve."

Lola took a few moments to think before she blinked hard. “It’s bloody winter?” She declared before laughing hard. What were those kids thinking about? Strawberries grew in the summer and you were able to pick them one magically day between being green still and the birds getting them. “How in the apocalypse did they get out anyway?” She had so many questions that she was sure the woman did not have reaponses to so she settled for the 2 she might. Her unanswered one was who would be sending Cassie stuff?

Juliet chuckled. "Seems there's a gap just big enough for Alicia to squeeze through in the Northwest corner of the wall. A small drainage ditch of some kind. Travis plans to put a set of rebar to close off the gap."

Lola shook her head. "Going to need more than a reinforcement bar." The woman said, knowing all too well the ways and means that you could escape having done it in her early days of being trapped there before she had grown up and realised just how bad it was out there.

"Travis will figure something out. He is pretty good with his hands." Juliet realized what she said and how it could otherwise be interpreted. She blushed slightly. "You know what I mean."

Lola knew exactly what she meant and giggled to herself before letting the laughter lit. “I have been hearing that but I never thought you would be the one to admit it.” Lola laughed again.

Juliet shook her head as she released a sigh that transformed into a wistful smile. "You know, I never thought I'd fall for a guy that much older than me, let alone a man with children, but Travis is...." She felt at a loss trying to describe her feelings for Travis. He was, quite honestly, everything she never knew she needed. "What about you? You're a beautiful young woman. There's gotta be a man you've got your eyes on.

“Who says I want a man.” The young woman laughed. Lola was not sure what she wanted from herself let alone a partner but she did not feel like she was missing out on anything. “But I am happy for you. I know it is hard in the current circumstances to find anyone.”

Juliet chuckled as Lola gave her laugh. "Fair enough and thank you. Travis is a wonderful man. He is kind and gentle. We're just...we really don't know how to tell Alicia and Johnathan about how we feel about ones another...starting to feel about one another."

Lola smiled as her comment was taken for what it was. She was just sure where she stood on what she liked about people, but she was also not looking. It did not feel to her that anyone in Thistledrift was her type, but she was happy enough. "I am sure it will all come together soon. It is difficult after what happened to their mum, " she commented with a sad smile.

Juliet nodded as she let out a sad sigh. Their mum had died almost two years ago from an illness that had swept through Thistledrift. Supplies of antibiotics had been low and Evelyn had purposely stopped taking hers so there would be enough for Alicia.

"It will all come together, you know that, right?" Lola asked as she heard her radio sound off and laughed, having forgotten to take it off her belt. She grabbed it up and put it on the table.

Juliet was happy for the distraction. The young Lola was a genius when it came to radios, whether broadcast, shortwave, handheld Motorola or walkie talkies.

The woman turned it down so only she could hear and smiled. "Do you think Cassie will come here tonight?" She wondered, looking around at how quiet it was which was unusual, but with the strange winter weather, people might be preparing their homes for the colder season.

Juliet grew thoughtful at Lola's question. "Not sure. She's probably questioning the courier about who sent the message and anything about their journey here." Juliet took a deep breath as she finished her tea and porridge. "Perhaps not. There’s a small committee meeting in the morning. I think a team is going out to forage for supplies in the next day or two before the winter storm season makes travel to risky."

“Oh that would be why I have been asked to charge radios and test them.” She realised knowing she should be face palming but she had been so distracted by listening out for certain broadcasts that she had not thought on everything. “Certainly getting colder that is for sure.”

Juliet glanced out the window. Snow flurries were just starting to fall as the shadows deepened with the setting sun. It wouldn’t be long before night settled in. She turned back to Lola. "It'll be sunset in a few minutes. I should probably head back to my place. Knowing Cassie, she is going to want to do the committee meeting first thing in the morning."

"Leave your items. I will wash up for you." She said deciding to just lift the bowl and drink the soup as it was easier, as she too caught the snow flurries coming down, which meant a cold night, and she knew no one else was going to be in the cottage that she had been allocated, so there would be no fire. "Get home safe,"

Juliet smiled at the younger woman. "You get home safe, too."

"I always do." Lola laughed as she watched the other woman walk away, leaving her alone with her thoughts, but warm for the moment.

 

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