168 First, you dig that hole

 The two men from Reparations jogged towards the circling birds. It was further away than they thought and it took them a good hour to reach a vantage point. The smell had been growing the closer they got and now it was overpowering. They covered their noses and looked ahead.

Numerous decomposing bodies were strewn by the lakeside. Maggots crawled all over the ground chasing the goo which was seeping from the corpses. The carrion had ceased to feast on the flesh, now they were after the large, fat maggots, which were crawling to find a place to pupate.

Smaller song birds had joined the feast, as the next stage of the food web was reached. They grabbed at maggots and flew off, probably to feed young in the nest.

Wild dogs still circled. They nipped at small pieces which were still whole but putrid. Snatching at a piece of arm, they turned and ran, ripping the arm, a shoulder, a head, clean off the body.

It was clear there was more than a family here. Young children, less than three, babies, probably only months old, were strewn in pieces around the area. Old ladies, they counted six in all, showed signs of amputation; chances are, they had worn jewellery and it was removed the easy way.  This sight which they came across was gruesome to say the least.

As they looked around, they could see other partial bodies further down by the river, their homes torched. Some animals had survived the initial slaughter, only to die of starvation and thirst.

The slaughter man shuddered. He'd dealt with animal corpses like this, but never human. The difference made his stomach heave.

"We can't burn these, their too far gone."

"We could do with a deep pit and lime."
"Mm.." The slaughter man thought long and hard. "I've seen it done where they dug a pit, tipped the bodies in, and then fired them in the pit. What do you think?"

"Aren't they too wet? The fire wont hold surely."

"We could use the soil to dry them out a bit, soak up the fluids. Its what we did with pigs when they went too far."

"Same thing really. We're going to need a big pit."

"Yep, and deep."

" Very deep."

"Need to keep the birds off, too, while we work."

"Fire.That'll work."

"Yep. Agreed. Let's get back and suggest our plan to the others. Unless any one has a better idea, that is"

"Do you think they'll stomach this?"

"Doubt it."

"This wont be the last."

"Nope."

 

By the time they met up with the rest of the command, it was already heading towards dusk. They found the lead Hammer.

"Putrefaction is too far gone for a pyre. Maggots cover the ground like a moving carpet and there are swarms of flies everywhere. We really need a deep pit, loose soil and numerous fires."
The other man stepped forward, "Yes, we also have to deal with the final scavengers and the birds. they're after the maggots. I'd suggest a fire is the first thing to establish, maybe numerous fires around the perimeter." He looked at the other guy, who nodded.

"Yes, spread around where the bodies are lying preferably."

"Yeh, what he said. We also need shovels, picks, anything to dig with. I'd rather not use one of our hunting knives, just in case these corpses carry any diseases."

The other gut nodded, "yes, we have to make sure we wash in the river after we have done this, too, preferably up stream a little way, so as to avoid the body fluids spilling into the waterway."

A soldier, who had been listening, turned his head and threw up where he stood. He carried on dry heaving,  and was helped away by one of his colleagues.

The slaughter man looked at his mate, "He won't survive." 

"Nope."

One of the Reparations team looked about, and in a very loud voice reiterated what had been decided. "So, gents, who has a strong stomach, because you'll need it for this job." He held up his own hand and looked around for other volunteers.

"Right. Tomorrow morning we lead a team to begin the clear up." 

Turning to the slaughter man, "You and your buddy here be willing to lead the team?"

They looked from one to the other, shrugged and nodded.

"Okay, so that's all arranged. We will deal with the bodies, others will be assigned  to collecting wood, loose soil, lots of it. Others of you can go and check out the burnt out buildings themselves, see if there is anything we can use, we can salvage."

The soldiers looked on and smiled. The Reparations Division was already selecting leaders, albeit accidentally.

The following day was tough. They first selected a spot to bury the dead. It needed to be close to where these people had lived, but far enough away from the water's edge not to interfere with the water itself. These waters were full of young fish and the last thing they needed in their clean, pristine waters, was the steady trickle of rancid human flesh.

They then set about starting small fires around the main area where they intended working. Although the four legged predators stayed on the margins having seen humans arriving, some of the birds were territorial, and the men found out just how sharp their beaks were. The men found anything to put on their heads. Anything which could stop the beaks piercing their skulls and making them bleed.

Next, a group spontaneously formed to explore the area and retrieve as much wood as possible. The bamboo groves were mature, so were able to provided many of the older poles.

A couple;e of the men set about carving them into water pitchers. 

Another pair split sections of the poles length ways, and scooped out the soft pith inside. then they carved them into wide shaped paddles which would serve as digging instruments. They turned these out as rapidly as they could and men grabbed them as soon as they were available.

The pit started to appear in the soft, sandy soil.

Some bamboo was set aside, and craftsmen from the funeral trade, cut memorial tablets. Names were unknown but one made for each person. They read, "Male unknown", "Elderly female unknown", " Young child, unknown" and so on. The area became a hive of activity, some completing the task on burial and subsequent burning, others making camp up river of the site, others hunting, foraging and fishing ready for cooking later.

By the time the bodies and maggots had been disposed of, all into a very large pit, with a good layer of soil and bamboo, the camp was humming with life and cooking. The pit had been set alight and the smell of roasting, putrid meat, the popping, sizzling of fat and the hissing from pockets of gas, could be heard in the distance. It was not the perfect camping spot but at least it was up wind, a short way, and the worst of the smell was being carried in a different direction.

Fresh tea was being brewed and some of the men, who had been cooks in their past life, now came into their own as they made small amounts go far.They had rescued salt, rice, soy beans, a few spices which smelt fresh enough to use and two fermenting jars of soy sauce. In another outhouse, they had found a few bamboo brooms, a large shovel and some clothes. There were spoons, bowls and the most valuable find of the day, a wok! A large, black, well oiled wok, which the cooks fought over with a passion.

Then, the greatest find of all, a hand barrow. It was broken but fixable. They could drag this between them, taking turns, so each had time in the harness. There had been goats, but they too were far to far gone to be worth eating and certainly not worth releasing. Poor things, still hobbled and locked in pens. They were just skeletons, lying in their own excrement.

There were live chickens though. They were clucking around getting agitated by the presence of these strange men. Eggs were laid everywhere, another great find. Most of the birds were caught, killed and plucked. They added a nice touch to the large containers of soups now cooking at various stations around camp.

 By the time all the men returned for the night, they were immediately shipped off to wash all the grime from their bodies, hair and clothes, before returning to devour the meal which these intrepid cooks provided.

One of the cooks looked up, "Gentlemen, the next stopping place for reparations needs to have a few more houses. We need rice, pulses, spices and more cooking pots. I have a shopping list, I hope you will oblige"

Another cook interjected, "And a wagon, preferably with a mule to pull it!"

Everyone who heard him laughed. It was possible. Unlikely. But possible.