“You’re not Briony are you?”
“We were. Once. Now we are something else.”
“You and the parasite, huh? A happy little family of two.”
“Not just two. I contain a multitude and we will spread.”
“Can’t let you do that.”
“You can’t stop us.”
I took a step towards her and then leapt to the side as she raised a gun and fired. It hit one of the minions high in the shoulder and he went down with a grunt. The other leapt at her and her next shot burst out the back of his skull.
She started the engine of the boat as I pushed myself up, cautiously, and then looked back at me as the boat set out to sea.
“That’s probably going to come back to haunt me,” I muttered as I watched her boat move further and further away.
She was headed to the mainland and while she would find few people to turn or eat, she would find plenty of zombies. They would either eat her or she’d eat them. Either way, it was a problem for later.
Right then, I wanted to go back to check on Lily.
I helped the wounded minion to his feet and left the other where he lay. He wouldn’t come back, the bullet to the skull had ensured that.
A drone buzzed past overhead and I grinned as I realised someone had the sense to follow her boat. They could keep an eye on her for some distance and if they had any sense, they would have already alerted the admiral and he’d have boats on their way to intercept her.
Which reminded me of the invasion that was underway. The island was safe, again, as was Lily. I could head back and continue in the violent retaking of the island. For some reason though, my heart wasn’t in it.
I left the minion with the medics and made my way to Lily’s room. Samuel was waiting outside, a look of annoyance on his face. I raised one eyebrow in query and he tilted his head towards the door.
“She said you told her not to let anyone in.”
“My apologies,” I said with a grin. “I was in a rush.”
He didn’t say anything to that, just crossed his arms and glared at the young woman standing before the door with a knife in her hand. At sight of me, she placed a closed fist against her breast in salute and stepped aside.
“Thank you,” I said as I passed.
She merely smiled and took up position beside the door. I was pretty sure that she would be a permanent bodyguard for Lily for some time. She was quite good at it and had saved her several times already.
Even just in the last couple of days, she had saved her from the infected in the river and then led a group away that would have been able to get into her room with ease. Yes, I decided right then that I wanted her to stay close.
“Briony?” Lily asked.
“Escaped.” Her eyebrows rose at that and I shrugged. “She had a gun. Probably taken from a soldier. I wasn’t expecting it though. Too used to zombies that don’t use weapons.”
“I’ll go make sure we can get a pursuit organised,” Cass said. She stopped beside me and placed one hand on my shoulder. “Thanks for the save.”
“Any time.”
She leant in and gently embraced me before hurrying from the room. My mother and sister watched with expressions I couldn’t recognise and I realised I would need to deal with them too.
“I know that I promised to keep away from you, but I hope you can understand my desire to be here, right now.”
“Of course,” Mother said. “I-I’m not sure how to feel right now, but I’m grateful to you for saving us.”
“Me too,” Evie said quietly.
She looked at Lily and something seemed to pass between them. Then she rose to her feet and crossed the room to pull me into an embrace.
“I can’t quite forgive you, yet. But I love you, little brother. You’ve changed. Thank you for showing me that.”
There was little I could say to that and she wiped her eyes before leaving the room. Back to her son no doubt. My mother went with her after sharing a shy smile with Lily and then it was just me and her.
“Hello, Lily.”
“Hello, Ryan.”
I pulled her close and held her for some time. The rest of the island could take care of itself at least for a little while. For the moment, I would just enjoy being with her and later, well, later I would try and figure out what it all actually meant.
She clearly meant a great deal more to me than I’d thought and that concerned me. Not so much the emotions involved but the fact that I had them. Especially since I didn’t understand them.
“When do you go back?” Lily asked quietly.
“Back where?”
“To the war on the Isle of Man.”
“I’m not going,” I said equally softly. “Not right now. Not while you need me.”
She turned her head to look up at me, something in her eyes that I couldn’t describe but thought, perhaps, was hope.
“You’re sure?”
“Yes. I won’t lose you.”
“What about the other thing, the killing?”
“There’s still plenty of that to do here, it seems,” I said with a grin. “Besides, there’s been more than enough to sate me for some time. A break won’t hurt.”
Which wasn’t a lie. I’d killed so many in such a short time. It was hard to remember their faces and that was a shame. I did so enjoy recalling their deaths.
“Thank you,” she said with a smile.
Epilogue
“C’mon, mate!” Gregg said. “You’ll miss the boat.”
“I hardly think it will leave without us.”
“You think so? You do know you’re not actually that popular with most people, yeah?”
“I’m not?”
“Well, I like you. Cass and your bloody cult do too, but that’s pretty much it.”
I paused then and turned to look at him, surprised at what I’d just heard. “So many people like me? That’s a strange feeling.”
“Ha, bloody, ha. Look at you finally getting a sense of humour.”
I ignored his moaning and stuffed the last of my things into the bag before looking around. It felt strange to be leaving and that was a new feeling for me. Normally I was happy to leave and go someplace new.
Admittedly that was because no one would know me and I could kill without being under suspicion. But, I’d become quite used to staying in one place.
“C’mon!”
“Fine. I’m ready.”
He pulled open the door and I stepped out, leaving my room behind for the last time. The halls of the sports centre were darker than usual, absent of the usual hustle and bustle of my minions scurrying about their tasks.
It was cold outside and the ever-present rain left everything damp and dirty. I lifted my bag to my shoulder and walked the short distance to the docks.
There were few people to see us off, which made sense. But there, at the end of the dock were the ones that mattered. I smiled as I saw them and received a wave in return.
“Hello, Lily,” I said as I reached them before the gangplank.
“Hello, Ryan,” she replied. “Are you ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.” I glanced down and smiled. “Hello, babies.”
The twins were sleeping, wrapped up tight in the blankets my mother had knitted for them. It had become something of a hobby for her in the past few months.
“C’mon,” Gregg muttered. “If we’re late you just know we’ll have last pick of the good quarters.”
“You’re part of the government,” Lily said with a fond smile. “Your quarters are already picked out and waiting for you.”
I leant in and kissed her gently. It had been a rough few months as I adjusted to my self-imposed time on the island. The war on the Isle of Man had progressed slowly but eventually, the admiral had won out.
“Gonna miss this place,” Lily said as she looked back over the town. I just shrugged.
“The new one will be safer,” I said with a look down at our children. “For all of you.�
��
“Not for you?” she asked with one arched brow. She knew the answer but she needed me to say it.
“Briony is still out there and Genpact too. Someone has to deal with them. Once you’re safe. I can do that.”
“As long as you come home to us.”
“Always,” I promised.
Siege
Killing the Dead: Season Three Book Five
By Richard Murray
Copyright 2019 Richard Murray
All Rights Reserved
All Characters are a work of Fiction.
Any resemblance to real persons
Living or dead is purely coincidental.
Some scenes are based on real locations that
have been altered for the purposes of the story.
Chapter 1
Two men came out of the darkness, thick clubs of aged wood in their hands as they rushed at me. I exhaled slowly and raised my own, twin, wooden batons and waited.
The first swung high and I ducked low, sliding past him as I lashed out with the baton in my right hand, striking the back of his leg as I spun, hitting him low in the back with the other. He grunted in pain, hitting the floor hard as I met the other.
I parried his attack, deflecting the club away from me and jabbed him in the stomach. As he doubled over, I rapped him sharply on the side of the head and he collapsed without a sound. I sucked in a fresh lungful of air as three more attackers appeared.
There was no point waiting for them to reach me and so, I set off at a run towards the first. Slipping past his weak attack and sending him to the floor with three quick blows that likely cracked a rib.
A club thumped against my left shoulder and I spun away to the right, buying myself time to recover from the stinging pain. My assailant followed me, grim determination on his face. I grinned and launched myself at him.
I ducked beneath his next swing, stepping in and striking him in the gut, first with the baton in my right hand and then next with the left. He gasped as the air was blown from his lungs in one burst and had a moment of surprise before the baton in my right hand sent him tumbling down into the darkness of unconsciousness.
The third assailant didn't hesitate, leaping at me, feet first. I went sprawling, the batons spinning away across the polished wooden floor. I rolled away as his club came down against the floor where my skull had been moments before and came up to my feet, legs braced, and fists clenched.
He swung the club and I gritted my teeth as I took the blow with my left forearm, stepping forward and hammering my other fist into his face. Blood sprayed from his nose and he recoiled, staggering and off balance for just a moment, but long enough for me to slam my forehead against his jaw.
I sucked in a breath as he collapsed, chest heaving with the exertion. I rolled my shoulders and cracked my neck to the side as the final assailant arrived for battle. A hulking bruiser who had a couple of inches of height and an extra foot of reach on me.
He carried a bat in one hand, twirling it as a child would a pencil and I had a moment's doubt. My eyes flicked to the side, searching for my own weapons. The air, cold on my sweat-slick skin was almost pleasant as a door opened behind me.
I darted to the left, dropping to my knees and sliding across the floor to grab the nearest baton. It wasn't fast enough and I was clipped by the bat, hard enough to knock me to the side and break the skin over my right eye.
Lily would be pissed if that left a scar.
He swung again, heavy bat hitting the floor as I leapt forward, tucking my shoulder and rolling back to my feet, baton in hand. I flashed him a grin and swayed back, barely avoiding the swing of his bat.
We circled each other, each watching for weakness as we weighed each other up. He had all the advantages. I was tired from taking out the other five and to be fair, I was running on empty most days anyway.
Having twin babies was not exactly conducive to a good night’s sleep.
He also had the bigger weapon and the longer reach to start with. For me to even hit him, I would need to step inside that reach and that was a risk. I eyed his overly muscled arms and imagined that if he wanted to, he could do a fair bit of damage.
Without warning, he darted forward, bat lashing out and I leapt back, ribs aching from the blow. I scowled as his laughter echoed around the room. We continued to circle one another.
I was ready the next time he darted forward and cracked his knuckles with my baton as I spun away from him. He grunted but didn't release the bat. I could admire that discipline another time, just then, it annoyed the hell out of me.
Bracing myself, I sucked in a breath and ran at him, his bat slammed against my shoulder as I dropped my guard and his look of glee vanished, his eyes widening in pain as my baton rose up between his legs.
He dropped to the floor, bat falling away as he grasped his balls with both hands, moaning in pain. I staggered a little, my left arm hanging limp as I waited for feeling to return.
"That was a low blow, mate," Gregg called from where he had been watching with the rest of my gathered minions.
I flashed him a grin as I wiped blood and sweat from my brow. "Set em up, let's go again."
Gregg looked around at the minions that were lifting themselves up from the polished floor of the gym and he shook his head.
"Maybe you need to take a break."
"No."
He didn't understand. How could he? I had been confined to, first, the Isle of Lewis for nearly five months and since then, the Isle of Mann for almost three. Winter had descended upon us with bitter gales and heavy snow and I hadn't killed anyone in eight months.
The almost constant training I had been doing was the only thing keeping me from doing something I shouldn't. I needed the violence, the pain, the victory of beating my opponents. I needed the chaos of the fight.
It was nowhere near enough to quench that thirst for murder or to still that roiling ball of darkness within my core. But it was enough to keep me focused on not breaking my promise, on being the man Lily deserved and not the killer I was.
"Ooooh, Clever Bastard," Isaac moaned from where he lay on the floor. "I'll need a minute, but then I'll go again."
I bet he would, I thought with a grin. He wouldn't let that go without some comeback. A good man in a fight and one that had taught me a few things over the past few months. I'd been sparring with him often as he wouldn't even consider holding back as my minions would.
"My Lord Death," Samuel said and my shoulders slumped a little at the tone he was using.
The stick-thin figure was glaring at me as I turned, and I widened my grin as I knew it would annoy him. The black hair that stuck up wildly, defying any attempt at brushing, was damp from the melting snow and his nose was red.
"Yes, Samuel?"
"Perhaps you have trained enough for today."
I gave him a considering look. He, more than any of the others, seemed to understand why I needed to do it. He was the one who ensured the minions I faced didn't hold back, which at first they had tried to do despite my explicit order.
It seemed that if I asked them to cut off a finger they would do it in a heartbeat, no hesitation. But if I asked them to try to harm me, they would baulk. It was a weird thing they did, like when I told them I had no need of guards. Still, they would loiter in my general area, guarding me without actually disobeying my order.
Irritating at times, but Lily assured me that it meant they were loyal which helped calm my more paranoid thoughts. Sometimes, anyway.
"There is other business to attend."
"Oh? Such as?"
Samuel looked around at the gathered minions and to my surprise, slowly walked forward so that only I could hear his words. That was beyond unusual and I watched him curiously.
"Tomorrow will be a long day. You should rest."
"Why? I don't care who will be elected. If it is one of the candidates that wishes us to leave, then we shall leave."
"Perhaps, Lily would appreciate your compa
ny. It cannot be an easy time for her."
I shrugged, losing interest. Lily had decided to stand down as leader of the refugee nation, fulfilling her promise that she would hold power only until the people were safe. It was her choice to make and while it had led to a crop of candidates that were less than ideal, I supported her decision.
Some of those candidates had made it very clear that if they were elected, their first order of business would be to have my little death cult removed from the island, with force if necessary. That idea had amused me for quite some time.
The other candidates had been a little more willing to allow us to stay but with some restrictions. I understood why, after Lily explained it anyway. They were scared of us, more so because we were growing in number.
In the past eight months, we had gone from a little over two hundred to almost six hundred. I wasn't the only one that had been training constantly either. Those six hundred men and women were fast becoming a lethal force.
Some of the island inhabitants were scared by that. Even though there was no way any of my minions would harm a living person without good reason, still they feared us. I was okay with that. If they feared us, then they would stay away and allow us to do our job.
Which was, admittedly, another sore point. My minions left the island and returned with supplies or survivors. I had not had that same option for some time.
"Again," I said loudly. "We will start with three, then four, then Isaac and one other."
"As you will, Laddie," Isaac said. He walked with an exaggerated limp, across to where Gregg stood.
The other minions began to gather themselves together. Some new ones replacing those that needed a little more time to recover.
"You will do no one any good if you harm yourself doing this!" Samuel snapped, voice low so that none could hear him berate me.
I narrowed my eyes as I stared at him and set my jaw stubbornly. "I need this."
"Yes, My Lord Death. I know and understand. But we need you too and if something were to go wrong and you were injured..."
Killing the Dead Season 3 Box Set | Books 13-18 Page 68