She was impressive as hell and in my old life, I’d have been intimidated by her. Intelligent, beautiful and successful in her field. Who wouldn’t have been intimidated?
“How’s your dad?”
“His health’s improving. Like everyone else, he needs more fresh food.”
“Thomas thinks his grow-houses will work.”
An engineer from Admiral Stuart's fleet, he had designed hydroponic systems that would help us grow plants indoors, despite the weather outside. With the aid of Ryan’s acolytes who had risked their lives to gather the gear they needed, they were almost ready.
“I hope so.”
As did I. The temperature during the summer had been low and we had seen the sun rarely. Apparently, when several countries had tried to use nuclear weapons to solve their zombie problem, they had thrown a lot of crap up into the air.
Later, as nuclear powerplants had melted down, the resulting explosions and fires had just made it worse. We’d experienced a full degree drop in temperature across the board and dark clouds obscured the sky for much of the year.
If it continued in the spring, we would have trouble growing the crops we planned to plant. I had twenty odd thousand people to feed and if we couldn’t grow our own, we would starve.
Still, that was a problem for later, or for someone else at least.
I took a sip of my tea and smiled as Jinx padded into the room. She huffed as she looked over the sides of the bassinets and settled down on the carpet beside them. The dark-haired Alsatian had taken it upon herself to be the guardian of the twins and rarely left their side.
A banging on the door interrupted my thoughts and Lisa opened it before stepping inside. My bodyguard nodded her head, grimacing before she swept loose hair from her face. She had stopped wearing her hood while in the block of flats, something which I took to mean she was comfortable with me.
“Forgive me, Lily.” I smiled at that. It had taken time to break her from the habit of trying to give me a title and just use my name. “There is a boat.”
Any humour I had disappeared at that and I felt the frown forming as I glanced at my babies. “Boat?”
“Yes, approaching through the storm.”
That was beyond dangerous and I could see no reason why they would do so. Standing order was not to risk lives.
“Has the Admiral been made aware?”
“Yes. He’s on his way but has requested your presence.”
I glanced helplessly at the babies and Evie reached out, patting my knee.
“Go. I’ll watch them. You’re still in charge for the moment.”
“There is a full fist guarding this floor and more down below,” Lisa said with a reverent bow of her head to the children. “They shall not come to harm.”
“It’s fine,” Evie said. “Go. I’ll keep an eye on them.”
“There’s milk in the fridge,” I said as I rose to my feet. “There’s a bottle heater on the counter and-“
“I’ve done this before! It will be fine.” She laughed as she made a shooing motion with her hands. “Go, do your duty.”
My heart was heavy at the thought of leaving my babies but I couldn’t deny my duty. If they were asking for me then there must be a problem. I headed for the door.
Whatever it was, I just hoped it wasn’t the cause of the feeling of unease that had been cloaking me of late.
Chapter 3
The last of the minions dropped and Isaac stepped forward, his bat swinging and a satisfied smirk on his face. I was beaten and bruised with blood dripping into my eyes. It was entirely likely that he would get his revenge for my earlier blow.
“My Lord Death!”
I turned, wiping the blood from my eyes and focused on the snow-covered minion that had just barged into the gym.
“What is it?”
“Your presence is requested at the Command Centre.”
“No fucking way,” Isaac growled. “Not till we’re done.”
“Sorry.” I flashed him a grin as he scowled back at me. “Must be important.”
“Screw important! We’ll finish this.”
I could have ignored him and just left but with all of my minions watching, I felt it was probably a good idea to show them that I wouldn’t back down. I rolled my eyes and fast as a striking snake, I launched one of the wooden batons straight at Isaac’s head.
He ducked to the side, batting it away and I was moving. His eyes widened and his scowl turned to a grimace as I slammed my other baton into his stomach, spinning away and around, my right leg rising to hit him square in the centre of his back.
As he dropped to his knees, it was simplicity itself to wrap one arm around his neck and pull it tight as I grabbed my wrist with my other hand and put as much pressure as I could on the carotid artery as I did my best to choke him out.
His fingers clawed at my arm for several seconds before he growled, low in his throat which came out as more of a gurgle. Then he reached up and patted my arm, surrendering. I had to grit my teeth and force myself to release my hold on him before stepping back as he gasped for air.
“Fair play,” Isaac said between sucking in breaths. “I let my guard down.”
“A bad thing to do in any fight,” I agreed. “Now. It’s been fun but I better go. Tomorrow?”
“Aye. I’ll be here and you better bring your ‘A’ game because I will.”
I flashed another grin at the back of his head and spun on my heel, heading for the door. Gregg caught up with me after just a few steps and passed me the thick coat Lily had insisted I wear.
“Thanks.”
He didn’t say anything as I pulled it on, just zipped up his own, wincing at the chill wind blowing in through the open door. Behind us, the minions returned to their own sparring sessions.
Outside, the wind pulled at our clothes and snow soon settled on us, dissolving against the heat of our bodies. We lowered our heads and pushed against the wind as we headed to the waiting car.
There were few such vehicles on the island that were in working order and all of them had been put to use for official business only. That they had sent one, even with the weather, was a telling point.
I climbed into the back of the car, Gregg beside me, and we shared a look as the soldier glanced back at us.
“Anyone else, sir?”
“No.”
He nodded and set off, driving slowly through the snow-choked streets, the four-wheeled drive the only thing allowing him to make any progress. It was slow going and I settled back in for the journey, staring out at the darkness and the falling snow.
There were few lights visible in windows, just the occasional thin crack of light as someone brushed past a curtain. It was a sensible order that Lily had given, making sure all lights were covered on a night.
No need to let the mainland see us. That would just make us a target.
Those lights that were in use, were low powered and turned inwards as much as possible. They were few and far between, just enough for the patrols to see by as they walked their rounds.
“What’s the fuss all about?” Gregg asked, leaning forward towards the driver.
“No idea, sir.”
Gregg looked back at me and lifted his shoulders in a shrug before settling back. The soldiers were generally a chatty lot and most of them knew Gregg well enough to at least exchange a few words.
He’d fought beside them and in his role with the government, had spent a lot of his time at their training grounds. Most would know him by sight and many of them would have spoken to him at some point.
It was one of his most irksome qualities, his need to be a social butterfly, chatting happily away with anyone and everyone.
The command centre was an old brick building that had more wall than window. Three storeys high, not too far from the docks, the lower floor had been sealed up entirely. The Admiral took security seriously and as tightly wound as he was, I hadn’t been surprised when he had introduced ID cards for everyone that
would be checked by the soldiers on duty.
I grinned as the car practically slid to a stop on the icy snow. I pushed open the door and stepped out, the snow crunching beneath my boots. Gregg went first, pulling out his badge and showing it to the soldiers before they let him in.
As I approached, hand going into my pocket, they just waved me through, the younger of the two on guard not meeting my eyes. I shrugged at that. It seemed that I had garnered quite the reputation on the island and there were few it seemed that didn’t know me.
Before I had made it through the door, four of my minions came trotting up through the snow. They’d trailed us from the gym, running through the snow behind the car. The soldiers waved them through too and I frowned at that.
No matter what they thought of my minions, they needed to check they were actually my minions. Isaac had made his way onto the island dressed in the garb of my death cultists and abducted me, after all.
It would be something to raise with Samuel. Security needed to be tightened up or there could be a risk to Lily or my children. Should anything happen to them, I would kill everyone.
We climbed the two flights of stairs in silence, grim-faced soldiers standing guard at every door. Each of them made Gregg show his badge before allowing him through while only one tried to do that to me. His companion stopped him with a shake of his head and waved me through.
The main command centre was full of desks and computer screens showing all manner of information. The people in that room controlled the drones that flew patrol around the island as well as the fleet of ships.
They kept track of the small boats that were out looking for supplies and survivors and kept a track of all supplies and inventory at all the various stations around the island. They had a complete database of each and every person on the island, their skills, their address and the job they had been assigned to.
It was the central point for all information that came in and out. Troop locations, potential dangers, even the waste disposal situation. It was all handled by the people in that room.
Admiral Stuart had made it his home. I was pretty sure he had a small cabin on one of the destroyers and a bunk in a back office in the command centre. He didn’t seem to need anything else and to be fair, he was always working anyway.
“Ryan,” Lily said dryly, and I winced a little at the lack of a greeting.
“Didn’t have time to clean up,” I muttered as Gregg grinned, amused as always.
She didn’t reply, just sniffed and turned back to the central table. I joined her quietly and she reached out with one hand to clasp mine. The only concession she would allow since she was annoyed with me.
Admiral Stuart watched us with a half-smile while Minister Shepherd beside him openly gloated at my poor reception. The weasel-faced woman with the constantly greasy looking greying hair didn’t like me.
I was fine with that. I actually quite liked her. She had a bit of a bite to her and she didn’t fear me which was refreshing.
Cass smiled a warm greeting at me before hugging her brother and the dour Minister Jones nodded curtly. It seemed that the majority of the government was in attendance. I looked to my left as Samuel joined me, Lily’s favoured bodyguard taking up position a few paces behind.
“Why are we here?” I asked.
“Patience, My Love,” Lily said quietly, lips barely moving.
“A ship is approaching,” Admiral Stuart said.
My frown deepened at that and I set my jaw, forcing aside the irritation. Boats arrived all the time and a lone boat wouldn’t be any kind of real threat. We had enough ordinance set up around the harbour that it would take a full invasion force to break through.
“The problem,” he continued as if reading my mind. “Is that they are not responding.”
“Is it propelled or drifting?” Shepherd asked.
“It has adjusted heading several times to ensure it is moving on a direct route towards us.”
“How big a boat?” I asked, curiosity growing a little.
“Fifteen metres. A commercial fishing boat from the little we have been able to see. Storm is hindering us.”
“Not one of ours then?” Gregg asked, looking around. The Admiral shook his head. “Where’s it come from then?”
“Best as we can tell, Somewhere between Liverpool and Blackpool.”
Blackpool was a coastal town in Lancaster. It had a long history of being a holiday destination with lots of fairground attractions and touristy things. Liverpool, on the other hand, was a large city. For anyone to come out of either of those places was surprising and potentially dangerous.
“Clearly we need to know who they are and what they want before they land.”
“Could be survivors with a broken radio,” Lily said. “We need to go slowly. I don’t want anyone to come to harm if they aren’t hostile.”
“Send out a boat then,” I said with a shrug. “Why the need to bring us all here?”
“The storm,” Admiral Stuart said grimly. “The sea is rough enough but with the snow, ice and heavy winds, it’s lethal.”
“Then there’s nothing we can do. We either wait it out and they arrive or they drown and it’s no longer a problem.”
I glanced at Lily as she squeezed my hand. Hard. Her eyes flicked to me as she pursed her lips and I held back a sigh.
“Fine,” I muttered. “We can’t let them drown. What do you want us to do then?”
“We have a decision to make,” Admiral Stuart said. “One that we need to make as a government.”
“Go on, Admiral,” Lily said with an approving nod.
“If we send a boat out, we have a number of problems. Our best suggestion is to send a helicopter.”
“We have a helicopter?” Gregg asked and the Admiral nodded.
“Yes. Two. One of them was used specifically for sea rescue.”
“Then send it,” Shepherd snapped. “No need for a full meeting about it.”
“He can’t,” I pointed out with a growing smile. “If there are enemies on board, we have the potential to lose the helicopter and our people.”
“Yes,” the Admiral agreed.
“But there’s something else,” I said as I watched his face.
Emotions I struggled with recognising for the most part but some, some I could. One of those that I was very familiar with was fear and the signs of it were written clearly for me.
“What is it, Admiral, that so worries you?”
“I can’t help but wonder,” he said slowly. “If the reason they won’t contact us is because there are infected onboard.”
“Can’t sink it,” I said with a widening smile. “In case it’s the living. Can’t let them land or get too close to shore in case there are infected aboard. What are we to do?”
There was only one real response. If the infected were on board, as soon as they got close to shore, they could dive overboard and pretty much walk along the seabed to come ashore anywhere along the coast.
“I will detail a fist of our best acolytes,” Samuel said as I looked at Lily.
There was fear in her eyes and she chewed on her lip but seemed to understand just how badly I needed it. More than that, she knew that I would be the best one there to deal with the infected if it was them.
“Have you ever even been in a helicopter!”
“How hard could it be? Fly out there, strap a rope to a harness and jump.”
The Admiral gave me a hard stare and muttered something I didn’t quite catch. I grinned at him anyway, knowing it would irritate him.
In truth, I had never attempted such a thing and doing it as a storm raged around us was incredibly foolhardy without any training. Something about the situation sent an alarm running through my skull and I knew that I couldn’t trust anyone else.
Lily was watching me, openly disapproving of my choice and I dropped my façade and faced her squarely.
“This could be a threat to you, to the twins. I won’t allow that.”
&n
bsp; “I don’t want to lose you.”
“You won’t.”
“Can you promise that?”
“No.”
“But you want me to just accept you going?”
“Yes.”
She stared at me for what seemed an eternity. It wasn’t like I needed her permission to go but her accepting the need for me to be one of those going would certainly make my return home a great deal more pleasant.
“Don’t die out there.”
“Wouldn’t think of it,” I said with a grin while Gregg groaned.
“Balls. Fine, I’ll come too. Someone has to keep you alive.”
“Welcome to join me,” I said. “It’s going to be fun.”
Gregg just groaned again and shook his head as I laughed.
Chapter 4
The helicopter settled onto the snow-covered car park outside of a restaurant and, ducking my head, I rushed forward through the falling snow towards it. The rotors whirred overhead kicking up a small blizzard of loose snow and making a horrendous noise.
I climbed into the fuselage, accepting the headphones I was given by the waiting co-pilot and buckled myself into the nearest seat. I was not at all sure of how it would go out at sea, but my heart was beating fast as excitement welled up within me.
Gregg climbed in beside me and then two minions came after. Not too many to fill the wide fuselage, just in case we needed the space for survivors from the boat. But enough for if there were enemies to be faced.
The fuselage was almost eight feet wide and about the same height. It was more than fifty feet long, not including the rotors which had a diameter of fifty-three feet. Painted a bright yellow that would allow it to be instantly recognisable, it was undeniably impressive.
It had a sense of raw power about it. I had no doubt whatsoever that it would hold up well against the storm winds and I waited eagerly as the co-pilot slammed shut the door and climbed back into his seat.
I ignored the tinny chatter from the pilot that was coming over the headset and instead, stared out the window as we rose into the air before swinging about and heading out towards the sea.
The wind buffeted the helicopter and visibility was ridiculously low. Beside me, Gregg was muttering softly to himself and I couldn’t help but grin at him as he looked up and caught my eye. He glared in response and turned away.
Killing The Dead (Book 17): Siege Page 2