“Everything ok?” Gregg asked as he put his head around the door and Lily waved him away.
“You can find more food.” Lily said, “You can go across to Windermere and empty the damn wholesalers, you have the boat after all.”
Lily paused and tugged at the blanket as she sorted through her thoughts before choosing her words carefully.
“As Ryan pointed out, however rudely.” she said with a small frown at me, “You lack the people. Allow us to stay and we’ll go and get more food.”
“No.” Matthew said without hesitation.
“Be reasonable.” Lily protested but he shook his head.
“We’ll all starve before we let him stay another night here.” Matthew said with a look of profound distaste at me. I was sure that if I had normal people feelings, I would have been offended.
“How can you say that? You’re alive because of him and Pat.” Lily said with a touch of anger entering her own voice. “I’ve heard from your own people. They ran while Ryan and Pat stood firm and saved all of you. How dare you treat us like this?”
“He is a killer of the worst kind and no one will sleep soundly with him within these walls.” Matthew said. “The rest of you can stay but not him.”
“So glad I put in all that effort now.” I muttered and was rewarded with a look of almost hatred from Matthew.
“I spent my life in the force putting scum like you away. I won’t let you live among us.”
“You’re a fool.” Lily said, no trace of anger in her voice just sorrow.
“It will be dawn in two hours, you leave then.” Matthew said as he turned away.
“After we take the food and medical supplies you agreed to.” I said and he swung back to me.
“You get nothing.” He growled, “She gave away all your supplies as well as ours.”
“So much for being a man of your word.” I said with mock sorrow but he didn’t rise to the bait, just stormed from the room much the same as he’d arrived.
“Well that could have gone better.” I said to Lily who was staring off into the distance, lost in thought.
“He’s an idiot who can’t see the good in you.” She sighed with a weak attempt at a smile.
“You could always stay.” I said quietly with a strange lurch in my stomach at the thought she’d say yes.
“I told you before that I want to be with you.” she said. “It’s my choice to stay here or leave to be with you and I choose you.”
“While I appreciate that more than you could ever possibly know, you obviously still care about the people here.” I said with relief.
“I don’t want to see anyone else die.” she said. “Least of all people I know.”
“Well you have two hours to change their minds.” I said, “While I have to find some clothes.”
“Then what?” Lily asked.
“Then we leave and go in search of some food and a place to stay.” I said. “Maybe head back down to the cottage and grab the food we left there.”
“Maybe.” she said. “What about long term though or do you think we’ll just be scavenging the abandoned towns for the rest of our lives.”
“Long term, I have some ideas.” I said with a grin. “I was thinking that since they obviously don’t want the island, we could go there.”
“The island?”
“Yeah, once we clean it up a bit. It’ll be safe and there’s plenty of space over there to grow some food in the spring, fish the lake all year round and most importantly, not get eaten.”
“We’d need a boat.” Lily said with growing enthusiasm, “We could invite Phillip and Laura over too. They shouldn’t be on their own.”
“Whatever makes you happy.” I said agreeably, “Now if you will excuse me, I better see what clothes I can find.”
“You clean your boots and I’ll go and find you some clothes.” Lily said as she threw back the covers to leave me shivering with the sudden cold. “We can’t have you wandering around half naked.”
I grinned and climbed from the bed before rooting through the room’s wardrobe. None of the clothes would fit me even with the weight I had lost with my starvation level diet, but I did find a robe that would at least provide some cover for me.
Another knock came at the door as I was doing my best to scrub the dried blood and gore from my boots in the kitchen sink. Seeing that I was wrist deep in disinfectant and soapy water, Gregg opened the door.
The young man who had been set to guard me before the zombies broke through the entrance, stood in the doorway. He said something to Gregg who waved him in before heading back into the living room muttering about not being allowed to sleep.
“Matthew sent you to make sure I don’t murder anyone on my way out?” I asked with barely a glance at the young man, focused as I was on a particularly stubborn spot of blood.
“No, nothing like that.” He said hesitantly and I looked over to him.
“Then what do you want?”
“I brought you this.” He said and held his hand out to me. “I cleaned it.”
In the palm of his hand sat my combat knife, shining in the dim candle light that illuminated the apartment. I reached out and took it from him feeling a sense of rightness once more as I held it in my hand.
“Thank you.” I said and he bobbed his head up and down in embarrassed acknowledgment.
“Just so you know” he said as he turned back to the door. “A lot of us are grateful for what you did.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Not enough to change Matthews mind, but you have some friends’ here.” the young man said with a catch in his voice. “Without you and your friend my own daughter...”
Without another word the young man left and I was alone once more in the kitchen, staring thoughtfully at the door he had just walked through. Admittedly, it wasn’t much but it was a start and an indication that if I was careful to not get caught, I may actually get to restore Lily to leadership of the people gathered here.
Lily returned a short time later with an armful of clothes that she dumped on the counter beside me with a warm smile and a brief peck on my cheek.
“You appear to be in a remarkably good mood.” I said as I inspected my boots carefully to ensure they were fully clean.
“Maggie’s doing ok.” She said happily.
“She is?”
“Yep, I just had the chance to talk to her. She asked about you and the others.”
“I wasn’t allowed near the children.” I said and her expression changed for an instant to one of fury, before returning to a strained smile.
“Well they’re idiots.” she said. “Get dressed, we have to leave soon.”
She had managed to find me a t-shirt in a rather hideous green with some band logo on the front, along with a thick red woollen jumper with reindeer on the front that had been someone’s awful Christmas jumper and some khaki cargo pants to finish the outfit. I looked at her and she burst into giggles.
“Really?” I asked with one arched eyebrow.
“Sorry, it’s the best I could find.” She said as the giggling passed.
“I’m sure.”
“Just get dressed.” Lily said, “I’ve found you a jacket and socks too.”
I just shook my head at the thought of what the jacket may look like and began pulling on the hideous clothing.
“Good lord that’s an ugly top.” Cass said as she entered the room with Pat following, who gave me such a look of pity that I wanted to rip the offending article of clothing off.
“Looks like the next place we need to loot is a clothes shop.” Gregg added from the doorway and laughter erupted from my friends. For once, it didn’t enrage me to be the butt of the joke and I marvelled at how things had changed.
“He looks fine.” Lily said with a mock frown as she put her arms around my neck and pulled me close.
“Oh god save us from that sort of display.” Gregg groaned, as L
ily kissed me with a great deal of passion.
“You’re just jealous brother.” Cass said with a grin that faltered as Gregg’s face fell.
She crossed to him and wrapped him in an embrace that he accepted for just a few seconds before pushing her away.
“I’m fine.” he said, “I’m sure at least one other gay man must have survived the apocalypse, maybe I’ll meet him.”
“More than likely.” Cass agreed.
Before anything else could be said the door was flung open and Rachel marched in with two aggressive looking men following her.
“Time to leave.” She said with a smirk.
Chapter 14
We were led through the building and out of the front entrance that had been cleared of the barricade. More than one head turned to watch us pass and at least a few of them looked apologetic.
The clean-up operation was already well underway, with survivors of the attack from the Apartments and from Coniston working together to gather the corpses and stack them in piles that I guessed they were going to try and burn.
I paused at the entranceway and looked out at the carpet of dead bodies as I allowed myself a moment of grim pleasure at the sight of the carnage. Along the outermost edges the carrion birds had already begun to pick over the corpses.
Lily put her hand in mine and I glanced across at her. She gave a tired smile and led the way through the dead.
We had to climb over a mound of bodies to get past the fence that Jason and another man were examining, doubtless trying to decide whether it could be salvaged or not. He ignored me and I returned the favour. He had long since fallen under the sway of Candice and Rachel and I doubted he would be interested in anything I had to say.
Without a word we walked away from the apartment building, watched by Rachel and her cronies who had stayed behind the fence. Once we reached the road and turned south, Lily sighed.
“I can’t believe they’re staying there.” she said.
“They are?” I asked with surprise.
“Yeah, Matthew is convinced that since they survived one attack they could survive another if they make the defences stronger.”
“He’s an idiot.” I said, “Those people would do better if I removed him and you took over.”
“No.” Lily said firmly. “They chose him to lead them and as deluded as he might be, he’s not a bad man.”
I shrugged and continued walking. My hands were already going numb and I stuffed them deep into my jacket pockets as I regretted the loss of my gloves.
“Anyone else feel like we wasted our time helping them.” Gregg muttered from where he walked behind us and I grinned.
“We saved lives. That’s what makes it worth it.” Lily said.
“Even if they don’t appreciate it.” Cass added.
The morning sun was bright and the sky was clear with the air feeling crisp. The hillside and trees were covered in an almost pristine covering of snow and the distant moans of the undead that hadn’t quite made it to yesterday’s party were far enough away that the walk towards Phillip’s home was pleasant.
As we walked I was revising through a mental checklist of what I would need to do to return Lily to her rightful role. It would be easier if I could do it with her approval and I was reluctant to do anything that may raise her ire.
My feelings for her, new and strange though they may be, were something I wanted to hold onto for as long as I could. I had no real illusions of a life setting up house and playing happy families. No matter the changes that were occurring within me, I would always be a killer. I couldn’t change that if I had wanted to and at some point, if by some minor miracle we survived to a time when the zombies were no longer a threat, Lily would realise that too.
I let out a sigh that caused Lily to glance at me with a raised eyebrow and I just smiled and shook my head, unwilling to spoil the pleasant morning with worries that would likely never come to pass.
Even if we made it across to the island and set up home we would have any number of ways to die. The changes that seemed to be occurring in some of the zombies may well lead them to a point where the lake wouldn’t be a barrier for them.
Even if they did avoid the lake, they could so fill the surrounding land that we would be trapped there with ever diminishing food and fresh water supplies. Perhaps we would die of pneumonia or some other as yet unknown virus that had plenty of places to breed on the walking incubators, the zombies.
Then we had minor infections, lack of medical care and sanitation. Lack of food, clean water, growing numbers of carrion scavengers and of course, other people.
The list was almost endless and most of the things that could kill us would do so because of the zombies. If we survived to the summer it would be a miracle and beyond that...well the odds were likely astronomical.
We were all alone on a small island with sixty million potential zombies. With the best will in the world, I couldn’t kill that many in a lifetime.
I turned my head slightly, just enough so that I could watch Lily as she walked and laughed at some comment from Gregg. No matter what, I had to ensure she survived and if that meant doing things that would cause her to leave me. Well so be it.
It was just about lunchtime by the time we reached Phillip’s house and even I was pleased to see that they hadn’t been bothered in our absence. There was only so much upset I could take from the people around me.
As I entered the house I was even more pleased to find a fire burning in the hearth in the living room. We all removed our snow dampened clothing and gathered around the fire while we filled in Phillip on what had happened during our absence.
“Ah man, why didn’t you have this lit the last time we were here?” Gregg asked as he held his hands out before the flames.
“The firewood we have is limited.” Phillip said. “Whenever possible we have to do without.”
“Well that’s something we can get.” Pat grunted, “Plenty of trees around and abandoned houses with wooden furniture.”
“The wood needs to be dry and you have to be careful about burning man made things.” Phillip said, “Too many chemicals and toxins in the paints and varnishes.”
“We can figure something out.” Lily said brightly, “But our first priority will be getting food.”
“Back to that cottage first to gather what we left and then further south?” Cass asked.
“Unless Phillip has any other suggestions” Lily said, and we all turned to look at him.
“You could try Hawkshead.” He said after several minutes thought.
“Where is that? What is that?” Gregg asked.
“It’s a village near Esthwaite water.”
“Where is Esthwaite water?” Lily asked.
“Between lakes Windermere and Coniston.” Phillip said. “It’s smaller than those two and the village is a very pretty place to visit and usually popular with tourists.”
“Then why didn’t your son and his wife go there?” I asked suspiciously.
“Because we knew it to be full of infected.” Phillip admitted. “Most of them are in their houses still but a few roam the streets. My son, well like me he very much valued life and had no intention of killing the afflicted.”
“They aren’t afflicted, they’re dead. You know that right?” I asked.
“Whatever has happened to them is God’s will and all will be made clear.” Phillip said quietly, “If he has raised them for a reason it is not up to us to question that or to try to undo what he has done.”
“You mean by killing them...”
“Yes.”
“Do you object to our killing them?” Lily asked and I glanced at her in annoyance. All I needed was another restriction to work under.
“No.” Phillip said with noticeable sorrow. “My beliefs are not yours and I would not insist upon you following them.”
“Well that’s something.” I muttered.
“How long will it ta
ke us to get there do you think?” Lily asked.
“If you cut across the fields and through the woods you would be there in an hour during the summer. In winter, with all this snow it would likely take longer.”
“Then if we leave now and hurry, we could bring something back to eat tonight.” Lily said and smiled at the groans from the rest of us.
“We’re just getting warm.” Gregg protested.
“If you want to eat tonight then we need to find some food.” Lily said, “We’ve taken enough of Phillips few supplies.”
“Fine, but if I freeze to death you only have yourself to blame.”
I pushed to my feet with a grimace. I still ached all over from the previous day’s activities and was in no mood for a trek across country.
We set out in silence broken only by the occasional grumbling that Lily ignored. We climbed the dry stone wall across from Phillips home and traipsed across the field. I let Pat lead the way and followed in his wake, taking the much easier path that he had already broken through the snow.
After we had entered the trees we encountered the first zombie. It had sallow skin and sunken eyes that were covered in a milky white film. Most of its clothing had been most likely torn when it was killed and hung around its waist in tatters. Bite marks and missing chunks of flesh covered its torso and one breast was entirely missing.
Without a word, Pat swung his hammer and crushed the skull of the pathetic creature. We left it lying in the snow as we had no real way of disposing of it and carried on our way, cautious and watchful of more zombies.
Lily killed the next we encountered, swinging her own claw hammer and breaking first the cheek bone and then the fragile bone at the temple. She smiled sadly at the corpse and I knew that despite her growing skill at killing them, she would never be able to forget that they had once been living people.
Often we would find tracks in the snow but the owners of the feet that had made them were long gone. The number of tracks we found was disturbing and a chilling reminder of how little safety was left even in the secluded parts of the world.
I pulled my knife from the eye socket of a corpse and let it fall to the ground while I kept a careful eye on Lily as she and Cass used hammer and cleaver to good effect to kill their zombie. I was about to join them when I had an unfamiliar feeling of being watched.
Killing the Dead (Books 4-6) Page 36