Killing the Dead Season 3 Box Set | Books 13-18

by Murray, Richard

  Then all was hidden from my sight and I could just listen to the screeching until it abruptly cut off. The nurses pushed through the gap in the curtains, none of them looking back and not a one without a look of horror on their face.

  Doctor Reed came next, followed by Lisa, her knife once more sheathed on her belt. Jinx whined and flopped down onto the floor, her head between her paws.

  “I’m sorry you had to see that,” Doctor Reed said as she quickly scanned the room, making sure the other women were being seen to.

  “H-how often does that happen?”

  “She was the second this week,” the doctor replied grimly. “Before them, we had three weeks without one.”

  Too often, then was the answer, I thought. Far too often and that meant the odds were high for mine as well. I swallowed once more and licked dry lips as I tried to think of a way to ask the question I dreaded hearing the answer to.

  Doctor Reed reached out, her hand on my arm and squeezing gently. “We’ll do everything we can to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

  That really didn’t help because I knew that no matter what, no matter how much you did right, pregnancies could still go wrong at the best of times. As a survivor of an apocalyptic event and struggling to get through each day, we were definitely not in the best of times.

  I gave the doctor a half-hearted smile anyway and turned to leave, stopping for a moment beside the door to turn back to her. “The other doctors will be here soon.” Then I left, the joy I had felt at being able to give her some good news for once had turned to ash in my mouth.

  All I wanted to do was go somewhere and weep.

  Chapter 9

  The cargo ship sat out to sea at anchor. It wasn’t as large as I’d expected, somewhere around a hundred meters in length and wide enough to hold three containers placed side by side on its deck. In total it could hold ten, with three rows of three and a single container placed horizontally at the far end near the bow.

  The ship was controlled from a wide tower of rooms at the stern. Four levels, all placed one atop the other in a haphazard terrace, painted in white with all kinds of antennae and equipment attached.

  It had been commandeered by one of the ships that Lily had sent out searching for survivors and with a little bit of maintenance and some heavy refuelling, it had become a useful addition to the fleet.

  My four containers had already been loaded and it was just a matter of being ferried across and we would be dropped off at the Isle of Man before the ship headed further south to, hopefully, be loaded with scavenged supplies to help feed our beleaguered populace.

  As such, several fists of minions and squads of CDF troops had already made their way across and wandered around the deck as they waited for me. I sucked in a deep breath of the chill sea air and turned back to Lily.

  She offered me a smile, but there was worry in her eyes. The scene at the hospital had upset her, I knew that, but when I had asked she had soon changed the subject. I respected her desire not to speak of it and would wait till she brought it up again.

  Gregg engulfed her in an embrace, whispering something to her that widened that smile in a way that I seemed unable to do. He stepped back, holding her at arm's length, laughing at his own joke no doubt, before he turned to his sister.

  Her embrace was less joyful and her eyes glistened with unshed tears. I’d been around her enough to know that probably meant she was upset about something Gregg had done. Probably something silly and he would talk about it endlessly on the journey.

  “Clever Bastard.”

  I looked back with a slight frown forming and nodded a rough greeting. “Isaac.”

  His companion, Erin, was beside him. The short redhead carried a rifle almost as long as she was while he had a large knife over one hip and his assault rifle hanging from his shoulder.

  “Figured we’d come with you. Earn our keep a bit.”

  They would be useful enough, that was for sure. I had first-hand experience of how capable they were and Erin was a superb shot with that rifle she carried. I lifted my shoulders in a shrug.

  “Sure. The more the merrier.”

  “Hello, Ryan,” Lily said softly and I turned back to her, the mercenaries forgotten as she approached me, one eyebrow cocked as she waited for me to complete our little ritual.

  “Hello, Lily.”

  Her smile was radiant and if it faded all too soon, I didn’t question it as I just stared at her. She was utterly captivating and at such times, I often found myself just surprised that she had been able to love me and more so that I could return that love.

  She had become someone I cared deeply for. I had changed for her in ways I had not suspected I would ever have been able to do and more than that, I had found a shred of hope that I could change further, for our children.

  My fingertips pressed lightly against her growing stomach and my smile was genuine as I stepped closer to her. My arms encircled her and our lips met as the world around us faded away entirely.

  “Come back to me,” she said as I pulled away. “Please, promise me you will.”

  “I promise.” I offered her a smile, but I was confused. She seemed worried about something. “I always do.”

  Jinx whined and I reached down to ruffle the fur on her head as I kept my gaze fixed firmly on Lily. Whatever it was that was concerning her, she didn’t seem willing to discuss it so I put it from my mind.

  “What about you? Look after yourself, yes?”

  “I will,” she promised with a smile. “I have plenty of people making sure of that.”

  “Good.”

  That seemed to be it for goodbyes. Gregg had moved across to stand beside the two mercenaries and it was just a case of heading out to the ship. I was about to turn away when I caught sight of a woman standing alone further along the road, beside the seawall.

  My mother raised her hand for just a moment before turning and walking away. I watched her for a minute wondering what the hell that meant before flashing one last grin at Lily and Cass.

  I left them there, watching silently as I climbed into the boat. The other three followed, taking up position on the hard seats as the sailor started the engine. I didn’t look back as the boat cut across the water, my mind already on the carnage to come.

  We pulled up alongside the ship and we each climbed the rope ladder, and joined those already milling around on deck. I ignored the salutes of the minions and turned to lean on the railing, the chill wind pulling at my hair and making me grateful for the warmth of my beard.

  Lily and Cass were still standing on the dock, watching us. I raised my hand and she did the same. I watched her as the crew got the ship underway and she was still there until the ship turned away from the island.

  Gregg’s hand pressed against my shoulder for a moment before he removed it and leant against the railing beside me.

  “She’ll be fine, mate. Cass will take care of her.”

  “No doubt.”

  We stood in comfortable silence for some time, watching the coast as we moved past it. The journey to the Isle of Man wasn’t long and we were there almost before I’d even realised.

  “Where we going ashore?” Gregg asked.

  “Northernmost point,” I replied absently. “There’s three villages towards that end which will be the staging areas for the three main forces. We’ll be with the eastern one.”

  “Are your people spread out among them all?”

  “Yeah. No point keeping them all with me. We’ll have about forty.”

  He was silent again for a few moments as the ship slowed and the anchor was released. Unloading the containers would be a pain, but the admiral had assured me they had the ability to do so.

  All that was left then was for me to climb down into the boat and head to shore, leaving the minions to unload the containers for me. I could trust them to do that at least. The minion in charge appeared competent enough.

  I went ashore with Gregg and the mercenaries and was met by a s
mall complement of marines. The leader, a sergeant judging by the rank displayed on his uniform, saluted as I waded through the surf.

  “Sir. The Admiral has requested your presence.”

  “Lead on.”

  No time for pleasantries. I liked that. The marine led us across the sandy beach and up a grassy incline to the road beyond. There was a car waiting and beside it, four flatbed trucks. I nodded approvingly and smiled grimly as I caught sight of the crane coming up the road.

  The admiral, true to his word, had taken the time to ensure my requests were met. That pleased me as I had no desire to be arguing over such matters.

  We were driven south, following the coast. I stared out of the window at the walled-in fields of arable land until we came to the first of the three small villages.

  It was called Bride judging by the weathered sign standing up from the tall weeds on the village edge. Not much more than a church and a handful of houses and a shop or two. There mainly to serve the various farms in the area was my guess.

  The admiral had made the church his command centre. A fact that amused me no end. A thousand soldiers had taken over every other house and building but still, a number of tents had needed to be set up.

  A perimeter fence had been set up around the village, providing a little extra security and towers had been quickly thrown together for the men and women to stand watch. I was a little impressed at the speed with which they’d set up camp.

  My own minions had set up in what looked to be an old cattle shed. It made sense. The shed was large enough for all of them and easy to secure. Any lingering odour of cattle could be no worse than the stench of death that rose from the undead.

  On the southern edge of town were a large number of wooden stakes. They had been driven into the ground, their points raised skyward. That was an oddity as they would be pointless for defence unless they were on an angle. Even so, they all had old stains from the tip to sometimes half-way down the length.

  Gregg followed me into the building while the mercenaries opted to stay outside with the marines on guard. Isaac was chatting amiably as I stepped through the great wooden doors bound in iron.

  Inside, the rows of benches had been moved over to the side to rest against the wall and tables set up in the space provided. The faint sounds of a generator could be heard and several of the desks and tables held computers.

  Charlie sat at one of them, her chair setting her out from the rest of the techs. She had clearly been brought in to supervise her drone operators as they surveyed the landscape ahead of the invasion force.

  A smart move and an indication that the admiral knew what he was doing. Not that I had doubted that. He was clearly competent and I had even developed a certain respect for him, which was a rarity.

  Stained glass figures stared down at me as I crossed the stone floor towards the centre table where the admiral stood with a group of adjuncts. Religious iconography still hung on the walls and I couldn’t help but chuckle at the fact that I was there. The proverbial wolf amongst the sheep.

  “Ryan,” Admiral Stuart said as he looked up, eyes narrowed as he stared at me. “You’re here.”

  “So it would seem. You summoned me, what do you want?”

  “Play nice, mate,” Gregg said before he peeled off to go and say hello to Charlie.

  The Admiral watched him go with a wry smile and gestured to the maps spread across the table. He didn’t seem to take offence at my tone, but the man was so uptight it was hard to tell sometimes.

  “Here,” he said. “Are the three staging areas. Alpha, Bravo and Charley”

  “We’re Alpha,” I said with a hint of amusement.

  “Yes.”

  “Okay. Please, continue.”

  “Bravo and Charley will head down the western side of the island clearing these towns and villages, one after another.”

  I nodded, not really caring what the other forces were doing.

  “Meanwhile, Alpha will split and head south-west and south. One half going to Andreas and one to Ramsey.”

  I did frown at that. Andreas was a village, though a sizeable one. Ramsey was a coastal town and would be the more challenging.

  “You want me to go to Ramsey?”

  “Yes. The other half will clear Andreas and swing back around to meet up with us at Ramsey. They can clear a few homesteads on the way which will take some time, but not too much. While they do that, we shall be putting those contraptions of yours to use.”

  “My meat grinders.” I grinned and he frowned.

  “As you say. Your… meat grinders will be placed on the main roads at the top of the town. There’s three, so we place one on each. The walls on either side of the roads will help funnel any undead directly to them.”

  “We will need to control the flow,” I said, thinking about it. “If we don’t, then all we will do is block the workings.”

  “At either side of the road are fields. We can have our troops lining up against the wall and hidden at either side. They can then jump up and attack from both sides as some of the zombies are funnelled directly into the mouth of your machines.”

  “Minimal casualties that way,” I said approvingly. “If the walls hold.”

  “They should be spread out enough that they will. Charlie’s techs have provided us with some data on the distribution of the enemy. Shamblers for the most part with just one small pack of Ferals towards the south.”

  “No Reapers?”

  He shook his head. “No.”

  “A lot of houses and a river running through the middle, splitting the town in half.”

  “We take the north then we will control the bridges to the south.”

  “It will be a good practice run for when we make it down to Douglas in the south.”

  “Indeed.”

  “What do you need me to do?”

  “We are going to need you to draw the zombies in. We tried a test with the drones and they stared at them but didn’t move to follow.”

  “That’s fine. We can do that.”

  “It will be risky.”

  “No more so than anything else. One question.”

  “Of course.” He looked relieved when I didn’t argue about risking myself or my minions. I smiled at the thought that I would refuse.

  “What was on the spikes outside?”

  He hesitated for a moment and then said, “people.”

  Not zombies. People. That indicated something quite exciting. People had flocked to the island when the world fell, thinking it was safe and it was, for a while. Then a cruise ship had run aground on the southern cliffs and, well, it didn’t take long after that.

  But, when there had been people in the village. Well, someone had come in and impaled them.

  “Who?”

  “We’re searching now.”

  Ah, so the admiral suspected as I did. That whoever did it was still there. Why else would they do it but as a way of keeping the other undead at bay? A camouflage of sorts. Covering up the signs of themselves with the rotting bodies of the villagers.

  “Let me know when you find them,” I said with a grin that had the admiral turn away with a shudder.

  Chapter 10

  I was laid in bed with Jinx pressed up against me, her body warm and comforting as I draped one arm across her when the pounding started on my door. Jinx was up and padding across the floor in an instant as I reached for my gun.

  “Forgive me,” Samuel said as he pushed open the door. “There has been an incident.”

  “What sort of incident?” I couldn’t stop the yawn. If I’d been asleep for an hour I’d have been surprised. “How bad?”

  “Very bad.”

  That got my attention and I swung my legs over the side of the bed and pushed myself up. The urge to pee was something I couldn’t ignore so I dashed across to the small bathroom with a wave.

  “Give me a minute.”

  “Of course, My Lady.”

  He was still waiting as I left the bathroom
, drying my hands on a towel. I grabbed my jeans and jacket, knowing that I would be not getting much more sleep that night.

  “Well?”

  “Ah, there has been an attack.”

  “Attack?” I felt the frown form as I looked over at him. “What sort of attack?”

  “Zombie.”

  My eyebrows rose as my eyes grew round. While we weren’t infallible, the drone coverage we had of the island should have given us some warning of any zombies left on the island.

  “Where?”

  “Here, in town, by the river.”

  That was a serious problem and I quickly strapped my belt and holstered sidearm around my waist. “Lead on.”

  Jinx followed along beside me and a full fist of acolytes fell in around us as we moved through the dark corridors of the sports centre. There was a truck waiting outside and I held back a sigh as I realised that they expected me to travel in that.

  Two of the acolytes helped me clamber up into the rear and Jinx jumped up, staying close beside me. There was already a group of four acolytes seated inside and Samuel climbed in with the others.

  “A little bit over the top, don’t you think?”

  “Not at all, My Lady.”

  His face was still in the dim light and I couldn’t discern whether he was being sarcastic or not. I crossed my arms and leant back against the canvas covering that made up most of the side and roof.

  The truck set off, engine sounding overly loud in the silence of the night and I waited with as much patience as I could. Samuel either had no answers to give or was simply refusing to answer my questions, asking me to wait.

  I did so, but with little patience. I was tired and overly emotional and certainly not in the mood for games.

  A short drive later, the truck slowed to a stop and half the acolytes jumped out, weapons drawn as they spread out around us, to make sure it was safe. Only when they were sure was I allowed out.

  I climbed down with the help of Samuel, lips twisting in annoyance as I realised just how ungainly I was going to get with the pregnancy.

  We were on the western edge of the town, beside the river. Across it and up a grassy hill was the research facility where we kept the Reapers. A chill ran through me as a sense of foreboding swept over me.