Burden of Survival: Killing the Dead : Season Two

by Richard Murray

  “You can do that if you want but I really don’t care for the reasons. You want to go then I’ll go with you.”

  “God I love you,” she said with a laugh as she leaned in to rest her head on my chest.

  “Tell me anyway,” I said. “Just know that I’m going for you and nothing else.”

  “Cass is pregnant, the zombies are changing. Some of them anyway. We can’t defend ourselves properly against threats like Marcus. We need help.”

  “Help?”

  “Becky said the navy is in Scotland with a large safe zone. They’ll have medical facilities and supplies. They might be able to spare some help to come down here and collect the rest of our people though I think they’ll be safe on the island until then.”

  “As safe there as anywhere,” I agreed.

  “You need it too,” she said and it was my turn to look at her in confusion. “Pat told me that you were… better after you killed the feral zombies. That you were more like yourself. Lucas, Harry and the other guard will have helped too won’t they?”

  “Yes,” I said. No need to lie to her.

  “But soon you’ll feel that need to kill again won’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “If the zombies don’t help then you’ll need to kill people and I’ll lose you because we don’t have anyone you can kill.”

  “Not unless another group attacks us, no.”

  “I’ve felt what it must be like to be you, to kill. To be a killer. It scared me,” she said. “I want to help you and I think together we can reach a place where you don’t need to. It’s like an addiction and we can wean you off it.”

  “No,” I said quietly. “That won’t work. When I can no longer kill anyone without breaking my promise to you then I will leave as I promised you I would. This thing we have, it won’t last. It can’t last because there will come a time when I can’t stop being me.”

  Her body shook against mine and she shook her head in denial.

  “I’m a killer,” I said gently. “A murderer. I have no place in a safe zone. I’ll take you there but after that, when you are safe in civilization… well, my place is out here, amongst the dead.”

  Chapter 30

  Lily

  Gregg gave me a hug as we waited outside the house for Ryan to finish his grisly business. He hadn’t heard what we’d said but he could tell from my face that I was upset and needed it. He was a good friend and I was glad he’d be coming with me to Scotland.

  We’d go because Cass needed to be somewhere she could have her baby safely and live free of the zombie threat. We’d go because my people needed help and that was the best place we could get it. We’d go because whether he believed it or not, Ryan needed help too.

  It wouldn’t end in Scotland, I refused to believe that. He was trapped somewhere inside himself believing that he couldn’t stop being a killer. I fully intended to show him that he could.

  The End of book 2.1

  Note from the Author.

  The very first book I wrote belonged to Ryan and Lily. These two became a part of the apocalypse for me. When it ended it was with the hope that a second season could begin. Separate from the first, in that you can read this without having had to read the others and showing the end times from not just Ryan’s point of view, but Lily’s too.

  This was the first book in the new season and there are more to come as Ryan and Lily make their way to Scotland and perhaps discover that there’s a long way to go before the world can right itself.

  I hope you follow along on this journey with them, much as I will be doing.

  Richard Murray

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