Star Drawn Saga (Book 1): Death Among The Dead: A Zombie Novel

by Charlick, Stephen

  ‘Whose isn’t?’ shrugged Fran, her lips twisting into a soft yet sad smile as she felt herself slowly falling into the comforting inky blackness of the beautiful eyes looking back at her.

  For a second Kai opened his mouth to speak, searching for the right words to say. He knew his worry was partly born from his need to keep Fran safe, yet how could he voice such concerns knowing that she was well beyond needing what little protection he could ever hope to offer her. So as he held her gaze, his mouth slowly closing, he said nothing but simply offered a single nod in agreement.

  ‘Right,’ Fran said at last, pulling her legs up from the wall, ‘let’s go for a wander, shall we? See what St Michael’s mount has to offer.’

  ‘Okay,’ Kai replied, just happy to be spending some time alone with her.

  Once on her feet Fran’s gaze followed the curve of the harbour wall round to where the sight of Dave and Jane Harper with Riley and Peter formed an idyllic and somewhat rare tableau in a world full of the Dead. The small family had survived an apocalypse that had swept across the globe and now that Peter was in an environment where his disability no longer put anyone in danger, Fran assumed the little family had just been increased by one more. For a moment Fran simply watched Riley engrossed with something his father was saying while Jane patiently knelt beside Peter showing him how to dangle his fishing line down the side of the harbour wall.

  ‘We’re going for a walk!’ Fran at last called to Jane, waving as she caught the woman’s eye. ‘We’ll see you later!’

  ‘Have fun!’ Jane shouted back with a brief wave of her hand, just before she was forced to grab hold of Bella who seemed determined to leap off the harbour wall in pursuit of the scrap of bait attached to Peter’s fishing line.

  Smiling as she watched Jane and Peter joyfully struggling to keep Bella on dry land, Fran turned to Kai, his own smile tainted by an unspoken sadness.

  ‘What?’ she asked.

  ‘They’ve been v…very lucky,’ Kai sighed, unable to tear his eyes from the scenic snapshot of the happy family.

  ‘Yes… they have,’ replied Fran, glancing back over her shoulder once more. ‘Come on,’ she said, shaking herself from the maudlin thoughts that threatened to consume her as she slipped her arm though Kai’s, ‘let’s explore.’

  With both of them aware of the prolonged yet innocent contact between them as they walked, Fran and Kai made their way back along the row of small cottages saying hello to the few people they came across. At one point, just as they left the last of the cottages behind them, a small boy no older than ten years appeared from round a corner chewing noisily on an apple.

  ‘You staying?’ he bluntly asked, pushing a short mop of brown hair away from his eyes.

  ‘Well, we…’ Fran began to say, searching for the words to explain why they would abandon the sanctuary the island offered.

  ‘No,’ interrupted Kai, ‘w…we can’t stay.’

  The young boy looked at Kai, his eyes narrowing as he took another purposeful bite of his apple.

  ‘Then you’re already as dead as the Corrupt,’ the boy replied, pausing to wipe his mouth on the back of his sleeve. ‘You just don’t know it yet.’

  ‘Well, he’s a cheery one,’ said Fran, watching the boy slowly walk back the way they had come, seemingly already dismissing the two strangers from his thoughts. ‘I wonder if he even remembers having a life not on this island.’

  ‘D…doubt it,’ answered Kai, suddenly conscious that at some point Fran’s hand had moved down to take his own in hers.

  Looking down at the delicate fingers entwined in his, Kai said nothing, fearful to break the spell that had fallen over him. In the distance gulls screeched their raucous cacophony while a barking dog, perhaps Bella, let known its clear disapproval at something. Yet none of these sounds really registered to Kai, for in that moment every millimetre and nerve in contact with Fran’s hand screamed for recognition; drowning out everything else.

  ‘Let’s go this way,’ Fran eventually whispered, the gentle tug of her hand leading him towards an almost overgrown path heading away from the harbour and the cobbled streets behind them and up into the small woodland surrounding the castle.

  Moving one foot in front of the other, Kai allowed himself to be led along the narrow tree lined path. At one time probably a well-travelled route for tourists, the path now lay abandoned and in bad repair, its surface broken and uneven as huge tufts of grass and weeds forced apart the remaining stones in their reclamation of the ground. With the movement of Fran’s thumb tracing a never-ending circle against the back of his hand consuming his every conscious thought, it was a miracle that Kai managed to make sure his feet found even purchase at all. Yet he did not trip or fall and even when Fran turned to smile encouragingly back at him, her hazel eyes dancing with a secret joy, he did not let himself stumble.

  ‘Left or right?’ she suddenly said, coming to a stop where the path branched in two.

  ‘Right,’ Kai replied, thinking that the left hand path would take them closer to the castle and the intrusion of unwanted company. ‘We should go r…right.’

  ‘Right it is,’ smiled Fran, stepping onto the sun-dappled trail to her right.

  For a few minutes they walked in silence, the tall trees either side of them silent sentinels as they made their way along the unknown path to an unknown destination. Just when Kai could stand the silence no more, Fran let out a small gasp. For within two steps the trees around them seemed to fall away, relinquishing their hold on the sky above them and opened up to reveal a small clifftop area, untamed and overgrown with tall grasses and wildflowers.

  ‘It’s beautiful,’ Fran whispered looking out over the ledge of blooming colour to the deep emeralds and blues of the ocean beyond.

  ‘Yes,’ Kai simply replied, stepping forward to stand by her side and fully take in the vista that had unexpectedly opened up before them.

  Despite the majesty of the view, Kai could not help but think it paled in comparison with the exquisite movement of Fran’s thumb against the skin on his hand.

  ‘Why couldn’t it have been different here?’ sighed Fran, brushing the blood red petals of a wild poppy blowing back and forth in the wind by her side. ‘I mean, why did these people have to be such lunatics? This place could’ve been so perfect…’

  ‘We’ll be okay,’ Kai interrupted, gently squeezing her hand; afraid she may let go at any moment.

  ‘Yeah, but for how long?’ she softly replied, turning to look back at Kai.

  Seeing in her eyes the usually hidden need for an answer, any answer, Kai opened his mouth to speak. But the uncertainty and deadly reality of their lives simply rushed forward to fill the void of his silence, strangling any words of comfort before he could speak them; and in this silence he realised he could say nothing that would make this right, nothing that would calm the fear that lurked within Fran’s worried stare. Suddenly, as if his limbs moved of their own accord, Kai found himself stepping forward, closing the gap between them and gently pulling Fran’s hand to his chest.

  ‘We’ll be okay,’ he repeated, his whispered and noticeably un-stammered words almost lost upon the wind.

  For a few seconds Fran simply stared back at him, relishing the feel of his fingers encircling hers and the strong drumming of his heartbeat against the back of her hand and then, despite her reservations and insecurities, she found herself leaning forward, her head tilting upward slightly, to brush her lips softly against his. For the briefest of moments the world and the horrors that dwelt within it melted away and Fran and Kai were left untouched and untainted, momentarily free of the nightmare that had become their lives.

  ‘Sorry,’ Fran murmured, reluctantly pulling her mouth away from Kai’s to look embarrassingly at her feet, ‘I shouldn’t have…’

  ‘Fran,’ Kai softly whispered, the word instantly halting her apology.

  Moving his free hand up to gently touch her face, Kai used the very tips of his fingers to trace across her s
oft cheek and along the delicate line of her jaw. With wonder he marvelled at the feel of Fran’s skin beneath his caress until with barest of pressure he tilted her chin upwards again, forcing her to look at him.

  ‘Kai,’ murmured Fran, barely breathing as she felt herself searching for the secrets held deep within the obsidian blackness of his eyes.

  And then suddenly his lips met hers again. Soft and tentative at first, their kisses grew as their passion and need for each other slowly consumed them. They revelled in the exquisite and seemingly endless exploration of each other’s mouths, until Fran, with a pang of disappointment and confusion, felt Kai at last began to gently pull away. Yet no sooner had the emotion flared within her than Kai was moving his mouth to the flesh of her neck, chasing away any uncertainty to send new shivers of pleasure and desire coursing through her. With her eyes closed, Fran tilted her head back, eager to expose as much of her neck to Kai’s attention as she could, desperate for him to know and pay tribute to each and every part of her.

  ‘Kai,’ she gasped, as his hand slipped to the base of her spine and urgently pulled her closer to him.

  With a growing need to feel the touch of his skin on hers, Fran forced her hands to Kai’s chest and despite her shaking fingers, began to frantically unbutton his shirt.

  ‘Come on, come on,’ she said, the words almost becoming a growl as she struggled with one of the buttons.

  ‘Let me,’ offered Kai, reluctantly abandoning her neck to tug urgently at bottom of his shirt before starting to pull it over his head.

  With his head momentarily tented within the fabric of the shirt, Fran’s eyes drifted to pale skin of Kai’s flat exposed stomach and the line of soft dark hair trailing from his belly button down past the waistband of his trousers. With her hands moving almost by compulsion rather than by any guidance on her part, she reached out and hesitantly brushed her finger tips against the creamy flesh of Kai’s stomach, sending an uncontrollable shiver shooting through him.

  ‘Ticklish?’ she smiled, and with a ‘pop’ she released the top button of his jeans causing Kai to falter in his fight to remove his shirt.

  ‘Fran, I…’ he began to reply, at last freeing himself of the troublesome garment.

  ‘I was joking,’ interrupted Fran, smiling mischievously as she used the two fingers she had hooked into his button fly to pull him a fraction closer. ‘But now that you mention it.’

  ‘Don’t!’ laughed Kai, twisting his waist sharply away from Fran just as she merrily danced the fingers of her free hand along his side.

  ‘Okay, okay,’ chuckled Fran, slowly sliding one hand across the smooth skin of his chest while deftly popping free the second button of the fly with the other. ‘But now,’ she continued, looking playfully up at Kai, his dark eyes sparkling with anticipation, ‘I’m feeling very overdressed… it’s my turn.’

  With her hand slipping languidly from his chest she moved to unfasten the buttons of the blue striped men’s shirt that she wore.

  ‘N… no wait,’ whispered Kai, his stammer briefly returning as he stilled the feverish workings of her fingers. ‘Please… let me.’

  With her hands slowly falling to her sides, Fran gave herself over to the desires of the beautiful young man standing before her and as, with a soft kiss, he gently lowered her to lie among the wildflowers, she at last thought the world could still be a beautiful place full of promise and hope, if only for a few stolen moments.

  ***

  Chapter 3: Back to the daily grind.

  Something dark and troubling stalked the shadows of Fran’s mind while she slept. It demanded its presence be known, acknowledged even, yet hid itself just beyond recognition. She reached out again and again, desperate to catch this invader of her dreams, yet each time it would simply crumple to nothing like ash between her fingers, its secrets all too secure. Eventually, tinged with an unknown anxiety, she relinquished her tenuous hold on her dreams and as her eyelids fluttered open, she looked across at Kai lying next to her.

  Almost instantly, a soft and relaxed smile spread across Fran’s lips and as she watched the rhythmic rise and fall of his naked chest she listened to comforting sound of his gentle snoring. Languidly she reached across to touch him, the tips of her fingers barely making contact while she traced the path of a thin blue vein that branched across the pale skin of his shoulder to disappear into the flesh of his armpit. She longed to feel his arms about her again, holding her close to him, his mouth hungrily finding hers, yet even lying next to him watching him sleep she felt a warm contentment within her. What would happen to them in the days or months to come she didn’t know, but in this moment, the crushed wildflowers beneath them baring testament to their passionate love making, she knew she was at last happy.

  Pushing herself slowly up on one elbow so not to disturb him, Fran tilted her head back to look up at the high canopy of leaves just behind her. As she watched, a soft breeze wove its way through the trees, gently rustling the uppermost leaves just enough to cause the dappling sunlight filtering through to dance and play along the narrow overgrown path they had taken. She sighed at the beauty of it all, realising she had thought moments like this were a thing of the past, of her past anyway and was so glad to have been proved wrong.

  Turning back to Kai, she saw that a bright red ladybird had landed on his chest and was merrily making its way across his ribs, pausing to test its wings every few steps.

  ‘Sorry, girl,’ she whispered, placing her finger in the bug’s path to carefully remove it, ‘this one’s mine.’

  After a few tentative steps the ladybird at last relinquished her claim to Kai’s body and then as Fran lifted her away she arched open her spotted shell, revealing her delicate lacy wings beneath and with a buzz took flight.

  ‘Bye,’ she mumbled, smiling to herself as the small insect disappeared amid the wall of wildflowers surrounding them.

  Beside her Kai briefly stirred in his sleep and with a few incomprehensible words escaping his lips, his hand reached out to find her. Making contact just long enough to reassuringly run his fingers softly across the skin of her bare shoulder, his hand then limply fell to the crook of her elbow, trapping a finger among the crumpled folds of her shirt sleeve. Slowly and as gently as she could Fran freed Kai’s finger and pulled the errant sleeve of her shirt back over her shoulder.

  ‘Hey,’ said Kai, his voice soft and still breathy from sleep.

  ‘Sorry,’ smiled Fran, placing a hand on Kai’s stomach, ‘I did try not to wake you.’

  ‘That’s o…okay,’ he replied, extending his arms over his head to stretch the lingering sleep from his relaxed muscles. ‘W…what time is it anyway?’

  ‘Erm… not sure,’ she began to say, already knowing that her watch had been ruined the day before during her very wet crossing from the mainland, ‘but from the position of the sun, I’d say we’ve slept for a few hours at least, so it must be at least…’

  Whatever Fran was about to say was suddenly cut short by the all too familiar sound of a scream, a scream filled with terror, panic and death.

  ‘No!’ gasped Fran, her eyes wide with fear as she looked at Kai. ‘Not here!’

  ***

  Twenty minutes earlier Jane had stood on the harbour wall looking out to sea. With her arms folded and chewing absentmindedly at the inside of her lip, her thoughts fought to align themselves into some semblance of order. She knew she had done the right thing to have at last had it out with Dave but to say his reaction to their conversation had been unexpected was underplaying it in the extreme. In fact once she had finished talking, to be met with only a painfully sad silence was certainly not the scene she had played out in her mind again and again over the last nine years. And when he had simply pulled her fiercely into his arms, promising everything would be alright, Jane had felt her love for him instantly multiplying tenfold.

  Looking down at Riley, his legs dangling over the lip of the harbour wall as he happily tried to fish for crabs, Jane couldn’t help but s
mile to herself. No matter what was to happen in the coming weeks, months and years, she knew Dave was now with her. She knew he would stay with them and that in a world ripped apart by the Dead, they alone would have each other and their small family would remain whole.

  ‘It’s going to be alright,’ she sighed quietly to herself, closing her eyes to bask in the warmth of the afternoon sun.

  ‘What?’ asked Riley, turning his head to look up at her.

  ‘It’s not what, it’s pardon,’ she corrected, briefly opening one eye to look at him before closing it again.

  ‘Okay… Pardon?’ said Riley, a little exasperated by his mother’s prompting. After all, what did it matter how you spoke when the Dead could be eating your guts at any moment.

  ‘Oh, nothing… it doesn’t matter,’ she replied, keeping her eyes closed as the warmth on her face melted away any lingering tension or apprehension she held within her. ‘I was just thinking how nice it is here… relaxing.’

  ‘Erm… yeah,’ agreed Riley, his attention instantly returning to the far more important task at hand, his crab fishing.

  As if to instantly belittle her statement a pair of seagulls began to screech wildly somewhere on the island behind her, their cries causing her relaxed brow to crease in annoyance.

  ‘Mum,’ said Riley, the word barely a whisper.

  ‘Hmm?’ she replied, trying her best to blot out the sharp calls of the seabirds presumably fighting over some fishy titbit.

  ‘Mum!’ repeated Riley, something urgent suddenly creeping into the word enough to cause Jane to abandon her sun worship and open her eyes to look at him.

  ‘What?’ she began to asked, her words faltering when she saw the all too familiar look of fear dancing in her child’s eyes. ‘Riley, what’s the matter?’

  ‘We need to find Dad, Mum,’ he simply whispered in reply. ‘We need to find him, now!’

  ‘Riley, what’s…’ Jane began to say, dropping to one knee to take her son’s suddenly cold hands in hers, while behind her the gulls continued in their ear-splitting chorus.