“I take it you know him” Her companion said with humour evident in his tone.
“We’ve been waiting for him.” Lily said with a grin of her own before turning back to me. “We were worried you might be dead. You need to come to the camp the others will want to see you.”
“Speaking of others, I need to go and tell some people that it’s safe.” I said.
“Others? You mean you’ve made some new friends.” Lily said teasingly.
“Something like that. They are just a little way up the road; I’ll go and get them.”
“I’ll come with you. I’m not letting you wander off again.” Lily said and waved her companion away as he offered to come along. He gave her a knowing smile and turned to head into the camp as I led the way along the road.
“So what took you so long to get here? Where have you been?” Lily asked as she linked her arm with mine.
I answered her questions briefly as we walked and promised to fill in the details at a later time. As we approached the main road Julie stepped out from between the trees with the children in tow.
“I take it this is one of the details you will fill in later” Lily said in a whisper and I nodded.
“This must be your friend” Julie said as she introduced herself and the children. “I take it we are going to the camp after all.” She added with a look to me.
“Of course you are. We can make some room for you all.” Lily said with a strained smile as she released my arm and I enjoyed a momentary freedom of movement before Emma took a firm grip on my hand.
“I’m guessing you are all hungry” Lily said with a grin and a raised eyebrow when she saw Emma’s hand in mine.
“We certainly are. Though the kids might fall asleep before they have eaten anything.” Julie said.
Lily led the way back to the camp and kept up a polite conversation with Julie as they walked ahead. Julie carried Mark and I was left to walk along behind with the rucksack and Emma.
The tables around the bonfire had filled with more people and a small group had gathered by the road. Lily waved them forward and I was greeted by Pat, Gregg and surprisingly Cass.
“I thought you were dead” I said to Cass.
“We could say the same about you” she answered with a wide smile and didn’t seem offended by my lack of tact.
“Seems she is too tough for the infection to take” Gregg said with a fond look towards his sister.
“It’s good to see you mate.” Pat said, “Who’s the kid?”
“I’m Emma” she said quietly as she stared up at the tall people around her.
Laughter and cheerful chatter surrounded us as we moved into the camp. It felt odd to be surrounded by such general good feeling after so long without and even I felt a little cheered by the pleasant greetings I was receiving.
Lily led us across to a table and chased the rest of the people away as I sat down. With Julie choosing to sit on one side of me and Emma on the other, Mark had to sit beside Lily opposite us.
“Who are all these people?” I asked.
“We found each other on the way here” Lily said, “They had the same idea and we decided to stick together. It seems to have worked out for the most part.”
“What happened to you after you jumped in the river?”
“I managed to get to the river bank though I had to drag John most of the way” Lily said, “I heard you hit the water behind us, but I couldn’t see you.
John was able to walk at least and as much as I wanted to wait for you he needed Louise to fix his wound and we needed to warn everyone about the zombies that were headed their way” she offered an apologetic smile my way.
“When we got there we all knew we didn’t have much time so it was decided that we had to leave right away. I wanted to wait for you but it was too risky so I wrote you a note and left it in the clubhouse.”
“I didn’t go in the clubhouse it was full of the undead. I did find a note and some supplies in one of the cars though.” I said.
“When we had packed everything up I realised that you might try and use one of the cars so I made sure they were all locked but one, and in that one I left you another note and some supplies. I figured you would have more chance of finding it that way.”
“It worked” I said with a smile, “I was grateful for the supplies too.”
“Well after that, we headed this way. Cass was really ill for a long time but she didn’t turn into a zombie. Louise thought it was because some people will have a natural immunity to the virus and will carry it but not turn until they actually die.”
“That makes a lot of sense I suppose.” I said thoughtfully, it would be something to look into later.
“The trip here was a long one and I will tell you more about it another time. We lost some friends along the way and I don’t want to go into it.” Lily said sadly.
“Who didn’t make it?” I asked and received a jab in the ribs from Julie.
“Louise, Michael and Debbie” Lily answered and wiped away a tear.
“I’m sorry” Julie said and placed her hands on Lily’s, though it was my ribs that hurt so I felt that I should have been given an apology.
“It’s ok.” Lily said and wiped at her eyes. “We are here now and it seems safe so far. Tell me about your journey and how you met your friends.”
I explained what had happened that night in the river and how I had been drugged. I left out the part about killing Alex, the man who had drugged me. From the suspicious look I received from Lily I figured she would guess anyway.
The village was glossed over and Julie filled in the parts about the Outlet store and the caravan park. She too kept some things out of the tale as the children were around.
“How did you meet Emma?” Lily asked when we had finished talking.
“I found her in a service station” I said and nodded gratefully at Gregg as he brought over several bowls of pasta.
“He helped me” Emma said around a mouthful of food.
“Helped you?” Lily asked.
“A bad thing was trying to hurt me.”
“So he saved you from a zombie.” Lily said and Emma nodded.
“And from the bad men later.” Emma added.
“Bad men?”
“The ones in the outlet store” Julie said quickly. “They were going to kill Ryan and take Emma and Ryan stopped them.”
“He killed them” Emma added helpfully.
“Did he now?” Lily said.
“Yes, it was scary at first and all the blood made me cry.” Emma continued and Lily’s eyes narrowed as a frown appeared. I very much wanted the little girl to stop talking.
“I think I need to have a word with you alone.” Lily said to me.
“Now?”
“Yes.” She said as she stood up from the table.
“Back in a minute” I said to Julie and the kids before adding, “Maybe.”
I followed Lily across the clearing and between two of the cottages. She stopped before the tree line and turned to me with eyes seemingly ablaze with anger.
“You killed people in front of a child” She spat.
“I didn’t have a great deal of choice” I replied calmly.
“That’s convenient. How many people did you kill on your way here?”
“Four.”
“Four... so the three at the store and who else?”
“Does it matter? I didn’t break your rule, no one innocent died.” I said.
“How can I trust you?”
“Well I didn’t arrive here alone did I?”
“No. You didn’t.” She said thoughtfully. “Why did you bring them along? Did you think it would make up for killing those people?”
“Not at all.” I said. “I wasn’t going to leave a child alone. Emma wouldn’t have lasted five minutes on her own.”
“And Julie?”
“She knew the way here.” I said.
“Is that the only reason?” she asked.
“Well she could also help look after the kids.”
“That’s all?”
“What other reason would I have to bring her?” I asked with puzzlement.
“No reason.” She said with her tone softening and her frown thankfully fading a little. “So you stuck to your promise?”
“I try not to break a promise.” I told her.
“That’s good to know.” Lily said as the smile returned slowly. “I am glad you made it here.”
“So am I.” And to my surprise I was.
“You aren’t a total lost cause.” Lily said after a moment.
“I’m not?”
“You had no reason to help the children and you still did so. It gives me some hope for you.” She said with a low laugh as she took my arm and led me back towards the tables.
Chapter 17
We spent an hour or so, swopping stories and getting reacquainted. Jim was still around though he spent more time with a few religious folk and Eric had also survived the journey. He didn’t come over to say hello but I did see him watching from across the fire.
John was subdued by the death of his parents and though he still had bandages around his arm, he seemed to be recovering. Rachel largely ignored me which I was fine with. Liz had come out of her shell a little and was helping Claire and her daughter Maggie prepare and serve food.
Several more people that I had not previously met were introduced and I smiled and nodded and immediately forgot the majority of their names.
“This is Howard” Lily said as a balding man with glasses wandered over. He was jovial and it was clear he had recently lost some weight, though he still retained some chubbiness. He was wearing a white shirt and black trousers beneath his thick jacket and it was easy to imagine him in a suit and tie on a Monday morning.
“Hello. Your friends have told me a lot about you.” Howard said. He spoke quietly and seemed to take pains to enunciate each word clearly.
“It is a pleasure to meet you” I said after a glance from Lily, though I ignored his out-thrust hand.
“Yes, well I am sure you will make a great addition to our little group.” He said as he sat down beside Lily. “We could always use more people to keep a watch out for those zombies, or to go on scavenging trips.”
“Supplies are low?” I asked.
“They are fine for the moment, nothing for anyone to worry about yet. I am concerned that snow will be upon us soon though.” Howard said and glanced at the sky as if expecting snow to be falling as he spoke.
“I will be happy to help out in any way that I can.” I said and directed my most sincere seeming smile towards him.
“That is wonderful to hear. Now if you will excuse me I have some things to check on.” Howard said with a broad smile that seemed genuine. “I am sure Lily can arrange somewhere for you to sleep.” He finished with a nod to Lily and a wave before wandering over to another table.
“He seems nice.” Julie said.
“Oh he really is.” Lily agreed. “He works hard to keep everyone together.”
“I am sure he does.” I said as I gathered the rucksack and stood up. “So where can we stay?”
“Julie and the kids can stay with Claire and Liz.” Lily said and gestured Liz over. “You can take the couch in the cottage I am sharing with Cass and Gregg if you like.”
“Fine by me.” I agreed though Julie looked annoyed.
Liz was a pleasant looking girl and showed no physical signs of the abuses she had suffered back at the stables. She was still shy and quiet around me but soon had the children chattering away. She led them and Julie to the fire to meet Claire and Maggie and I suffered through a hug from Emma before she left.
“The little girl seems to like you.” Lily said with a laugh.
“That is easy to understand. I am a loveable person.” I said with a wink.
“Come on, I’ll show you to your couch.” Lily said with a grin as she stood and took hold of my hand before leading me around the bonfire and towards one of the cottages.
I stood behind her on the decking as she fumbled with the lock. It was interesting to note that they still locked the doors when they weren’t in the cottages. I could see other people filing into the other dwellings as the bonfire was allowed to die down.
The lock clicked behind me and I turned in time to see Lily enter. I followed along behind and stood in the darkness as she lit a couple of candles.
“No electric lamps?” I asked.
“We haven’t found any yet.” She replied as the first candle flared to life and illuminated the cottage interior.
I had certainly stayed in worse places recently. The cottage was quite spacious and tastefully decorated. The kitchen was open and had the usual appliances as well as a table that was attached to one wall, with four stools around it.
The living room had two sofas and I chose the one that faced the fireplace. It was comfortable and I sank back into the cushions with a sigh. It had been entirely too long since I had been comfortable.
“This place has two bedrooms.” Lily said, “A double bed in one and twin beds in the other. Cass and Gregg took the twin beds and I have the main room, so you can have your choice of couch.”
“I am sure this one will be just fine.” I said as she handed me a drink. I took a sip and was pleasantly surprised to taste apple juice.
“Enjoy that while you can, it’s the last of the juice.” She said as she flopped down beside me. “Now tell me the whole story of what happened and leave nothing out.”
After a momentary pause to gather my thoughts I spoke at length about my journey and what had happened since we had separated. I left nothing out and was honest about everything as I knew I had to be with Lily.
“That’s quite a story” she said with a sigh as I finished. “I can understand your killing the three men who attacked you at the outlet store, but you shouldn’t have done it in front of the little girl. The other man though, that’s a gray area.”
“He drugged me.” I pointed out.
“Yes but he didn’t do it to harm you” she said and sighed once more. I waited patiently for her to think things through. I knew the terms I had agreed to. No killing innocents and if she decided that the man was innocent, then I would likely be faced with an uncomfortable situation.
“Well it’s done.” She said finally. “If he hadn’t delayed you, then you may have been back in time to travel with us. If you were, I doubt we would have lost the others.”
“Oh?”
“I will tell you about it some other time.” She said and wiped away a tear that was threatening to fall. “I am glad you made it here though.”
“As am I. Though I am not sure what to do now.”
“What do you mean?”
“I spent so long travelling, moving from one place to another to get here that it just doesn’t feel right to stay in one place yet.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean. You will get used to it though. It’s generally ok here.” Lily said.
“Generally?”
“Yeah it’s a strange set up. We have three groups of people who have all been stuck together by circumstances and not by choice. Arguments are fairly common.”
“Why is that fellow... Howard? In charge?” I asked.
“Well, as I said we had three groups. We decided that it would be best to have a council of people to lead us. One person from each group and then a general vote for one of the three to be the guy who has the final say.”
“And this Howard fellow was voted as leader?”
“He had the largest group. Most of the votes went his way so he is in charge and Eric and Matthew are his seconds.” Lily said.
“Eric? The Eric who was at the clubhouse?” I asked and Lily nodded. “Why weren’t you in charge?”
“I didn’t want it.” She said, “I wasn’t in a good place when we arrived and I didn’t want to
be responsible for anyone.”
“So what is the setup here?” I asked and she seemed relieved at the change of topic.
“Matthew is in charge of the guards and scavengers, Eric deals with supplies and day to day tasks of running the camp. Howard is mainly in charge of keeping everyone together without killing each other. The evening bonfire and shared meals were his idea, a way for everyone to bond.”
“So I take it that everyone has a job of some sort?”
“Yes. Any newcomers will be given an assignment and if you don’t like it, you don’t share the supplies.” Lily said and looked up as Cass and Gregg entered.
“How is it just the three of you in here?” I asked, “The other cottages looked like they had larger groups living in them.”
“That’s our fault mate.” Gregg said with sideways glance at his sister.
“People don’t trust me.” Cass said at my confused look. “They think that I might infect them since it didn’t turn me into a zombie, they think I’m a carrier.”
“Yeah and some of them don’t like gay folk.” Gregg added with a laugh.
“Lily is the only one who would share a place with us. It means we have plenty of space at least.”
“What jobs do you all do?” I asked.
“Guard duty for us” Cass said and indicated Gregg. “It means we sit out on one of the roads for hours on end, away from all the good clean people, while we watch for newcomers.”
“I go on scavenging runs when we do them.” Lily said, “I think they will be glad to have you along to help with those. Plenty of zombies out there.”
“Sounds exciting” I said with a smile at the thought of regular violence.
“I am headed out tomorrow. We need to get some more food stored away.” Lily said.
“Supplies are that low?”
“We have maybe a month of food for all of us and that’s only if we stretch it out.” Lily confirmed.
“What is the plan then? Stay here for the winter and hope to scavenge food?” I asked.
“Pretty much.” Gregg said.
“I don’t know about your journey but I saw a great many undead out there and they are starting to move out into the countryside. This place has no real defences.”
“We are surrounded by woods and not on any main roads. We should be ok. Howard and the others all think that the undead won’t come out this way.” Cass said.
Safety Lost (Killing the Dead Book 3) Page 10