168 First, you dig that hole

 The two men from Reparations jogged towards the circling birds. It was further away than they thought and 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.

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

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

"Really, they could do with a pit and lime."
"Mm. Still, if we dig the pit deep enough."
"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?"

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

"Same thing aren't they?"

"Near enough. Need to keep the birds off, though. Fire is the only way."

"Yep. Agreed. Let's get back and tell the plan to the others. Unless any one has a better idea."

 

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

"Putrefaction is too far gone for a pyre. Maggots cover the ground like a moving carpet. We really need a deep pit, loose soil and a fire."
The other man stepped forward, "Yes, we also have to contend with the final scavengers and the birds after maggots. I'd suggest a fire is the first thing to establish, maybe numerous fires." 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, preferably up stream a little way so as to avoid 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.

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, and we will need lots of it. Others of you can go and check out the 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 selected a spot to bury the dead first and then set about starting small fires to deter the animals and birds who had been attacking them since they'd arrived.

Next, a group spontaneously formed to explore the area and retrieve as much wood as possible. The bamboo groves provided many of the older poles which had numerous uses, one of which was as water pitchers. They set about creating these and then split bamboo poles to create paddle like hand spades which others used to dig a communal pit, back from the water's edge, but close to the people's original home.

Some bamboo was cut in the form of memorial tablets. Names 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, the camp was humming with life and cooking.

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 house, they had found a few bissom 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 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 had starved to death.

There were chickens though. They were clucking around getting agitated by the presence of these strange men. Eggs were 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 off 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."

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

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