The cleanup after the spike installation was grimmer than the actual work had been. Martin organized us into pairs, each team responsible for dragging the infected corpses far enough from the compound to dump them into a disposal pit that had been dug specifically for this purpose. It was messy, unpleasant work that nobody volunteered for but everyone understood was necessary.
The pit itself was located nearly half a mile from the Municipal Office, positioned downwind to minimize any lingering odors that might attract scavengers or alert other infected to our presence. It was deep enough to hold dozens of bodies, though thankfully we rarely had to dispose of more than a few at a time.
"At least there weren't more of them," Martin said as we dragged the last corpse across the rough ground. "Time was, we'd see ten or fifteen infected in a single day. Now we're lucky if we spot two or three in a week."
