Kahlil woke up at 4.55am, and went straight to the radio in the corner of the cellar.  He slipped on his headphones and listened for the start of the 5am broadcast.  It was 13 days since the attack, and there was a good chance that the worst of the fallout will have passed.  They could leave the cellar today!

The broadcast began with a news report. Authorities in the West of England and Wales had lifted fallout warnings the previous day, and work has begun to restore essential services in some areas.

The rest of the country had it's fallout warnings lifted today although it was recommended to limit time outside to no more than 6 hours for the time being, this advice would be reviewed in a few days time. 

Kahlil was delighted to hear this news and woke up a few people sleeping nearby in his enthusiasm. He apologized, and started a pot of coffee ready for when others started getting out of bed.

A few minutes later the smell of fresh coffee has woken half a dozen of the cellar dwellers. Diana was amongst the first to wake, and when Kahlil told her they could leave the cellar she was thrilled.

Diana joined William, Kahlil and a small team of soldiers who ventured outside after breakfast. It was a few degrees colder than usual for the time of year and the sky was grey and full of clouds.   It wasn't raining yet, but it was a matter of time. 

At that moment they were surprised to hear vehicles pull up to the gate. A balding, overweight guy in his 50s, wearing a crumpled suit, climbed out of the lead vehicle accompanied by a police inspector.

Kahlil approached the man and asked

"Can I help you?" 

"Under the Emergency Powers act I am requisitioning this property on the behalf of his magesty's government." The man's answer was dripping with pomposity.  

Kahlil struggling to hide his amusement, turned to his companions and spoke,

"William can you come here a moment this gentleman needs putting straight on a few small details." 

As William approached, the Police Inspector recognized him, snapped to attention and saluted. 

"This property is already in use by His Magesty's government as residence of myself, the Prince of Wales, and my family. You can either assist us, or in the language of the soldier, many of whom now have you in their sights, you can fuck right off!"

The man in a crumpled suit could see which way the wind was blowing and quickly responded, 

"Of Course Your Highness, how can I be of assistance." 

He just finished speaking when he coughed, droplets of blood spraying from his mouth, and fell forwards landing flat on his face at Williams feet. The fletching and shaft of two arrows were visible in the official's back. Diana screamed shock, as soldiers surrounded William and backed up away from the gate, their rifles aimed toward the small group of skeletal archers on the brow of the hill, across the road from the gate.

Kahlil shouted for the police inspector and the rest of the group with the dead official to come inside the gate quickly. A volley of arrows narrowly missing them. 

With William away from the gate and at less risk of being hit, his guards focused their attention to combating the enemy force. The team leader radioing the house, 

"Ready team, report to front gate, we are under attack!  Awakened to front gate." 

Whilst the soldier was calling for help, Kahlil had drawn his sword and was preparing to fight anything who got close. 

Whilst the archers had everyone's attention a large group of undead appeared over the brow of the hill. There were several sword wielding skeletons, half  a dozen zombies, a handful of cyclops and the group was lead by a giant horned demon armed with a flaming whip. 

The soldiers present unleashed a steady stream of fire, with mixed results, they took down the skeletons and caused damage to several zombies, but the Cyclopses and Demon were protected in some way, the bullets bouncing off.  Claire came running out of the house, followed by Stevo and Debbie who returned from Drebun just as the attack started. The Demon had reached the fence at this point, causing the soldiers to back away, out of range of it's flaming whip. Claire stepped into range of the creature, and it struck at her with the whip.  Gramacing Claire blocked the strike with her sword, the whip coiling round the blade and heating the weapon until it began to burn Claire's hand. Despite the terrible pain she hung on and pulled, stretching the Demon's arm away from it's body. Kahlil took advantage of the moment and swung his sword in a chopping motion, severing the demon's hand at the wrist. Disarmed, with Black blood spurting from it's wound, the Demon howled with pain and frustration. Claire's burns were quickly dealt with by Stevo's heal and the two of them along with Debbie set about eliminating the Cyclopses, letting Khalil and William finish off the wounded demon. 

Stevo he'd a simple but effective strategy for dealing with Cyclopses. He would send a shocking spark into it's single large eye, and with temporarily blinded he would set about it with his club. He eliminated two of the monsters this way while the sisters took out a third, Debbie killing it by driving the end of her mace into it's brain via its eye. The final two Cyclopses were eliminated when they got close to the official's car, which had been leaking fuel since the tank was pierced by a stray bullet.  Standing in a puddle of petrol, they were incinerated when Stevo sent a spark into the puddle igniting it. 

Whilst this had been going on Kahlil had managed to get behind the giant demon, having narrowly avoided several arrows to do so. He chopped the back of the creatures left leg with his sword, making it drop to its knees.  This allowed William to stab his rapier into the demon's chest. Already suffering from blood loss, this final injury was enough to finish off the demon, despite narrowly missing its black heart.

Once it had expired the soldiers started clearing the area and making the gate secure. The archers on the hill slipped away. 

With the danger over, and the gate guarded by soldiers, the rest of the group returned to the house where Diana and Debbie quickly made and passed around mugs of tea. 

The police officer was introduced as Chief Inspector Wicks, who told us the dead official was local councilor who had a role in regional government under the emergency powers act. The area was being administered for the time being from the basement of the council building in Eltown, the former council chief executive acting as regional governor.  Eltown hadn't been directly targeted during the attack, but a stray warhead aimed at a nearby airbase exploded on the far side of the town, flattening 30% of the city, including Debbie and Claire's former home, and Stevo's old office. 

Wicks would report back that the councilor was killed by rogue survivors. (easier to explain than skeletal archers!) He would also report the Prince of Wales and his family were present in a government facility, with a military guard on hand. 

Wicks was driven, along with his colleagues, back to the council offices in the soldiers APC, as their vehicles were destroyed in the fighting. 

With their guests on their way life at the farm settled down for a while until the APC returned an hour later. The commander approached William and spoke to him quietly for a few moments. William's usually calm demeanor was shaken for a moment before he recovered. 

He spoke to those present in the basement. "There is still no news on the safety or whereabouts of my Father. Tomorrow barring a miracle, I will be proclaimed King William 5th."