Killing The Dead 9 (Season 2 | Book 3): Family Matters

by Richard Murray

  One of the Ferals had reached the top of the lower portion of the wall and was pulling itself up towards Ryan. He appeared unconcerned as he stood at the top, waiting. He took two steps back as it neared the top and swung the axe overhead, to crash down on its skull as soon as it raised itself up.

  It fell from the wall and he wobbled, barely able to pull his axe free but from the grin he wore, I could imagine he was enjoying himself. I leaned out over the parapet and stared down. There were no zombies nearby and a clear route to the car. I made a choice and pushed myself away from the wall.

  With one hand clasped to my wound as though that would do anything to stop pain shooting through me with every step, I moved on wobbling legs towards the stairs. I made it three steps down before I had to put one hand on the wall for support.

  I gritted my teeth and kept going, hesitating at the bottom before I pulled the bolt across. It would mean the door would be unlocked and Charlie would be in danger, but if my idea worked, then that wouldn’t matter. I pulled open the door and slipped through.

  It shut behind me with a barely audible thud and I clung to the wall as I made my way towards the parked car. Cass looked back and her jaw dropped as she saw me and she hurried her pace. I turned my head to see Ryan.

  He was moving confidently back and forth across the wall with the axe held in both hands. I assumed he’d put his knife away to better keep his balance. The Ferals, growing in confidence, were scrambling up the wall and pulling themselves onto it.

  The narrowness of the wall meant they could only go one at a time, but below him, several were trying to climb directly to him. Every time one climbed up to his level, he’d swipe at it with the axe and the ground beneath him had a small pile of bodies.

  Every step was agony but I kept going, reaching the car as Cass lowered herself down to drop to its roof.

  “What’re you doing?” she whispered furiously as she jumped to the courtyard.

  “I have an idea,” I said before adding. “I saw Pat, he’s alive.”

  She stopped, her mouth working but no words coming and finally she swallowed and smiled her thanks. “What’s your idea?”

  My knuckles rapped on the window and the wide eyes of Georgia looked up at me. I indicated she unlock the door and reached up with one hand to do so.

  “We drive,” I said as I pulled open the door and slid inside.

  I winced as I pulled myself over to the driver's seat and I was fairly confident the dampness on my shirt was because my wound had opened as much as from the rain. Cass slid in beside me and made sure to lock the doors.

  Georgia looked at me and I waved away her question as I started the car. The engine roaring to life, loud enough for a few of the Ferals to look our way. As did Ryan.

  He struck at another Feral and stopped. Edging forward when he saw no more were coming and saw them gathering on the wall, three then four all balanced there.

  They were massing, ready to rush him and his time was running out. I gunned the engine.

  Chapter 26 – Ryan

  At any moment I would lose my footing and fall into the waiting arms – and teeth – of the Ferals in the courtyard. I didn’t imagine it would be a pleasant death, but it would be different.

  The ones that had made it to the wall were waiting. I suspected for their numbers to grow so that they could rush at me and take me down. I grinned and hefted the axe in my hands, holding it at shoulder height like a bat, ready to swing.

  Below me, I could hear the scraping of the claw-like fingers of the Ferals on the stone as they scrambled to reach me. I was reasonably confident they wouldn’t manage it, but still, I kept glancing down.

  There were a disheartening number of Ferals milling about down there and I held back a sigh. My arms ached and the cold rain stung my cheeks. I didn’t know how much longer I’d be able to hold out and I eyed the moat at the other side of the wall as I wondered how deep it was.

  If the worst happened, that would be my way out. A leap – or fall – into the murky depths and if I survived, I’d probably end up with some kind of infection because that water looked positively disgusting.

  The roar of a car engine came to me and I looked over to see two people sat in the front of it, the engine running. I squinted and then glanced at the watchtower. No Lily in sight which meant that was her in the car. What is she doing?

  She reversed the car, getting as much distance between her and the Ferals as possible before shooting forward and I grinned. Clever.

  They hit the Ferals before the doors of the tearoom and scattered them as they came to a stop. Cass leapt out and banged against the door with her fist as the Ferals picked themselves up. Then my attention was taken up by those undead on the wall as they rushed towards me, scrambling up the old stonework.

  My first swing caught the Feral on its shoulder and sent it flying down into the moat below. There goes that exit plan. The next fell to an overhead swing of the axe and had the audacity to fall from the wall into the courtyard with my weapon stuck in its skull.

  I pulled free my combat knife with my right hand and reached into my pocket for the claw bladed knife with my left as I backed up along the wall.

  The next Feral leapt towards me and hit me with a thump, sending me tumbling backwards to the wall as the air was expelled violently from my lungs. The damned creature kept hold of me as it struggled to keep its balance and dragged me from the wall.

  We landed in the moat with a splash and I sucked in a mouthful of foul water as I fought to sink my knife into its skull.

  In darkness beneath the water, I pushed away from it. My one advantage that I could swim and it couldn’t. I burst through the surface and managed a quick breath of air before its grip on my ankle pulled me back down.

  My boot connected with something solid as I kicked out and I was free, though I had lost the claw bladed knife in the fight. I kicked out for shore and pulled myself from the cold waters.

  I allowed myself several seconds to lie on my back on the grass banking and regain my breath before I pushed myself to my feet. I was beyond exhausted but knew that I needed to make it back around to the front of the castle and inside to help Lily and my friends.

  A splash from behind made me turn to see one of the Ferals pulling itself clear of the water and I groaned. It might not be able to swim but that didn’t stop it crawling along the bottom of the moat I guessed.

  My knife plunged down as it reached for me and it stopped moving. I didn’t wait to see if the other would make its way out and set off towards the gates.

  When I passed through the gates, stepping as carefully as I could amongst the dead bodies. I had no intention of being scraped by an infected bone as I brushed past it. I stopped and stared. Battle had been joined.

  With me as a distraction atop the walls and the Ferals attention fully on me. They lacked the vision and hearing to realise the few survivors of earlier had left the main hall and rushed them from behind.And much to my surprise, a second group had followed them with my father in the lead.

  Even with the element of surprise though, the survivors struggled. Outmatched by the ferocity of the Ferals and few remaining shamblers. I hesitated only long enough to ensure Lily was still alive and then ran to join the fray.

  ****

  When the last of them fell, there were no cheers. No hurrahs or gleeful looks. No. Too many had died, several wounded and most likely infected. Cass hugged her partner and wept silently as her brother, weary and covered in the blood of the dead, found her.

  I sank to my knees amidst the bodies. No energy left to move to a better resting place and very little inclination to move anyway. I spied Caleb by the door and his eyes met mine, a promise in them of vengeance, but not yet. Later for both of us.

  “You made it,” Lily said and I looked up to see her approach, helped by Georgia who had one arm around her waist.

  “So did you,” I said and she smiled.

  “I’m going to find your sister and see if she
can stitch me up again,” Lily said. “Meet you inside?”

  I looked around the courtyard. The bodies of the dead, the tears of the victors as they found their loved ones amongst the bodies and the occasional cry as that loved one came back to life, eager for blood and I sighed.

  “Let me help you,” I said as I pushed myself slowly to my feet.

  My arm slipped around her waist as Georgia released her and looked at me in a way that had a meaning I couldn’t grasp and I headed for the doors.

  Inside my father had begun to organise his people, those who had cowered inside as others died for them. He turned to me and his mouth opened to speak but I pushed past. If I’d stopped moving then I doubt I would have started again anyway.

  Back in the old office that had been used as a recovery room, I helped Lily onto the bed and then sank down beside her on the floor.

  “I hope Jinx is ok,” Lily said and I grunted as I closed my eyes and let my head fall back against the wall.

  “She’ll be fine.”

  “Your brother and Becky are both still alive.”

  My grunt could have meant anything but she took it to mean an acknowledgement and she reached down to take my hand in hers.

  “I didn’t think we’d make it,” she said and I felt the tremble run through her. I opened my eyes to see she was crying and thought, perhaps it was because she hadn’t, but that didn’t make much sense. I didn’t know what to say either way so, I held her hand in silence and was soon asleep.

  ****

  Evelyn entering the room to clean and dress Lily’s wound didn’t wake me, nor did the visit from my mother to check up on us. It was only several hours later when Georgia came in with a couple of bowls of something that smelled faintly spicy, did Lily shake me awake.

  I blinked blearily at her and she smiled at me. Her tears had ended as I slept and she appeared to hold no rancour for my slumber so that was a bonus. Jinx looked up as a bowl was handed to first Lily and then the second to me.

  “Thank you,” Lily said as the canine looked faintly disappointed.

  “Least I could do,” she said. “I thought I was done for when I hid in the car and then you lot managed to turn things around.”

  “What is it?” I asked as I poked at the pale lumps floating in some kind of sauce.

  “Tofu,” she said. “Your mum made it and I’ve added some spices to try and add a little flavour but that’s best I could do on short notice.”

  “Thank you, I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Lily said and seemed to expect some response from me so I nodded my thanks.

  “No problem,” Georgia said. She at least didn’t seem to mind though Lily’s smile had turned to a slight frown in my direction. “Everyone else has already eaten and we’re having a meeting in half an hour in the tearoom.”

  “What about?” Lily asked.

  “Oh you know, clean up duties and that sort of thing.” Her eyes flicked towards me and she shrugged. “Caleb wants to discuss you.”

  “Tell him I can kill him later,” I said. “Too tired now.”

  “We’ll come after we’ve eaten,” Lily said as her frown became a glare for me. I grinned at her and the corners of her mouth twitched.

  “Okay, sure.”

  “How many did we lose?” Lily asked as the other woman turned to leave.

  “Thirty-one,” she said. “Three infected and waiting to see if they turn. Your friend Cass, she said they might be immune so we need to wait.”

  “That’s most of the people who were willing to fight,” Lily said. Likely a good portion of those my father had led out at the end too.

  “None of your group,” Georgia added. “Caleb was pissed about that since most of his are gone.”

  “Our people are hardened,” I said. “We’ve faced these threats before.”

  “That boy you came with, what’s his name? Reece,” Georgia said and I nodded. “He’s one of the infected.”

  “Oh no, poor Gregg,” Lily said. “He’s only just met him too.”

  “He’s with his sister,” Georgia said and then made her goodbyes and left the room.

  I poked at the food and lifted a piece to my mouth to taste it before letting it drop back to the bowl. I set it down beside me and gestured the dog over.

  “Not hungry?” Lily asked and I shook my head. “Me neither.”

  “Well we saved a lot of people but at quite a cost,” I said. “And when we move on, they’ll be totally defenceless because the few who would fight are dead.”

  “I know,” Lily said flatly.

  She ate in silence and I waited as patiently as I could. While I was in no mood to fight, the chance to kill Caleb was enticing and I absently touched the hilt of my knife.

  “Haven’t you had enough of death?” Lily asked as she set down her bowl. I looked at her in surprise at the sudden question and saw her watching my hand holding tight to the hilt of my blade.

  “No,” I said. A simple answer and one I hoped she’d accept. She looked disappointed but didn’t press the issue, instead, swinging her legs over the side of the bed.

  “Help me up please.” I rose to my feet and slipped my arm around her waist as she wrinkled her nose. “I think we both need a bath.”

  “More than likely,” I agreed as I pulled open the door.

  We moved through the old building quickly, noting the absence of people and came to the tea room to find it full. Few of the people there would look us in the eye, whether that was shame from their having hidden while we fought for them or disgust at having killers in their presence. I neither knew nor cared. My eyes were fixed on the large man standing beside my father.

  “It’s time,” Caleb cried as he saw me. He appeared to be drunk and his words slurred a little. I guessed he’d been celebrating his survival.

  “Now, now,” my father said. “There’s been enough loss of life today, no need for more.”

  “Ma boys, then my friends and neighbours,” Caleb said as he took a slow, less than steady, step forward. “All gone and all because of you.”

  His last words were clearly flung my way as his hand jabbed out, finger pointed directly at me.

  “Be calm, don’t aggravate him,” Lily murmured as I did the exact opposite and grinned at the large and extremely angry man.

  “Bastard!” he screamed as he took another step forward and then stopped. A peculiar look crossing his features before he fell face first onto the floor.

  My father knelt down and reached out one hand to gently shake him, then firmer when he got no response. Finally reaching out to check for a pulse. His eyes widened as he looked up at us and said, “he’s dead!”

  “I didn’t do it,” I said as all eyes seemed to turn straight towards me and I didn’t stop my laughter from bursting forth.

  They think it’s me, was my first thought as I saw the suspicion writ plain on their faces, followed closely by, there’s a killer here!

  I looked around the room, taking in each of the people there. Friends, family and strangers all. One of them was a killer, like me, and since we’d be stuck at the Sanctuary for a short time while Lily recovered, it would at least be mildly amusing to discover which of these people was guilty.

  Then I could kill them.

  Note from the Author.

  Ryan suspects a murderer in his parent’s Sanctuary, Lily needs time to heal and their friends need to help figure out a way to make sure the remaining people will survive once they continue on their journey north.

  While they survived, many others didn’t and they need time to recover. Unfortunately that time is something they may be denied.

  Summer is fast approaching, as is Cass’s baby. They have a ways to go yet to reach their destination and no real idea whether the Navy have made landfall or survived. The undead are evolving, some growing stronger and more dangerous. As skilled as they have become at fighting the undead over the long winter, they will soon be finding those skills put to the test in the next book in the series. The one thing I
can tell you at the moment is the title, and make of that what you will. The next book will be called; Feral.

  Richard Murray

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