“The beginning always helps.” I muttered.
“Very well.” she began, “I was in Shrewsbury visiting my brother George when all of this began. He worked as a scientist on the army base nearby and while he never really told me most of the things he worked on over the years, he did say that for some time they had all been working trying to find a cure for a new plague that was spreading across the globe.”
“The zombie virus or whatever it is?” Cass asked and Becky nodded.
“Yes. I’m afraid that whatever the hell caused the zombies had been happening for a while and at a certain point they reached the required numbers to just seemingly explode into a full blown apocalypse.”
“Which is what must have happened around the time I met you.” Lily said to me.
“I’m sure it was the same for everyone. We’d heard on the news about random attacks increasing, people being assaulted in the streets and so on.” Becky went on. “The government suppressed what they could but sending in the police without weapons was just idiotic. More police officers got bitten trying to subdue what they still thought of as people, than was necessary.”
“So anyway, it reached critical mass while I was with my brother and we made it to his base that was quickly sealed off.”
“Sounds like as safe a place as anywhere else.” Gregg murmured.
“Not really.” Becky said, “One hundred thousand or so people in Shrewsbury and the surrounding towns were just as bad. First the fences fell and we barricaded ourselves in the buildings but then bullets ran out and the bombs and the buildings began to fall too.”
“So how did you come to be flying towards Scotland and what is in that case?” I asked.
“Well like I said, my brother had been working on the disease since before the general public of the world even knew the zombies existed beyond TV. His commander on the base was in contact with the navy which is when we found out they were planning on establishing a safe zone in Scotland.”
“Why Scotland?” Cass asked.
“Because the highlands and the nearby islands were free of zombies.” Becky said. “Well to a certain extent. Edinburgh was gone, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee too. The Isle of Skye and Harris were clear though. It gave them something to start with at least.”
“So there’s a place that’s zombie free?” Cass asked with a delighted smile.
“Yes but they have other problems.” Becky said, “Food, fresh water and power not to mention medicine. Far too many people there for them to be self-sustaining yet. George said that the navy and whatever armed forces they had with them would start moving outwards, clearing whatever towns and villages they could and collecting supplies as they go. A lot of people will still die before they can do that though.”
“But still, it’s a start a chance for civilisation to survive.” Cass said with more cheer than I cared for.
The very idea of society being established once again, with its laws and rules was disturbing. I had become used to being open about whom and what I was with the people around me, with being able to kill without concern over the police.
To think that once more I may have to hide who I was and stop killing freely was galling and as I looked at Lily, I realised that in a civilised world she would have no interest in me.
“George and me, well we managed to escape the base and hid for a while. We met Harry and some others and my brother persuaded me that we needed to get to Scotland and give that case to the navy scientists there.” Becky said with a nod to the case.
“What’s so important about it?” Gregg asked.
“It contains samples of the virus and all of his data.” Becky said.
“Not a cure then?” Cass asked with disappointment.
“There is no cure.” Becky said despondently. “That’s what he found out, with all his months of work and all the resources available to him. No cure and no hope. It’s mutating.”
“What do you mean mutating?” I asked since the rest of the group seemed to be taking a few moments to digest what she had said.
“The original virus reanimated the body and gained enough control to function and spread to other people.” she said and I nodded, I had observed that myself. “Somewhere along the line it started to change and now it isn’t satisfied with basic function, its gaining more control. It’s even attempting to repair the damaged host.”
“That’s disturbing.” I said and was satisfied to note that I had observed that already too.
“They’re all going to become like those fresh ones?” Cass asked, “Fast and smarter than the others?”
“I don’t know.” Becky admitted, “All I do know is that some of them are starting to make those changes but to do so they need more food, more energy to make them.”
“Which likely means we won’t see too many of them just yet.” I said into the thoughtful silence, “There’s not enough people left to do much more than we’ve already seen.”
“We have other problems to concern ourselves with first before they become an issue.” Lily agreed, “We still need to survive the winter.”
“I have to get to Scotland though.” Becky said.
“Go for it.” I told her with a grin, “If you set off walking now you might get there before next winter.”
“You won’t help me?”
“How do you propose we do that?” I asked with amusement. “We’re barely surviving here and the undead just keep on coming. The roads are covered in snow and ice, we have no plane or any idea where to find one. Carlisle and Glasgow are right between us and the place you said the Navy were going. So please, by all means tell us what we can do to help you.”
“Ryan.” Lily said as she placed a warning hand on my arm and I realised that I had perhaps sounded harsher than I intended.
“He’s right.” Pat said and I nodded my thanks at his support.
“I know that.” Lily agreed. “Once spring arrives we can discuss it, but for now there really is nothing we can do.”
Becky looked crestfallen and fell silent. The mood in the room had definitely soured and I wondered if it would simply be easier to kill Becky and destroy the case. I didn’t exactly care if they ever found a cure or even knew it was mutating. I would just keep on killing them until they ended my life or were all dead themselves.
Chapter 20
As I lay in bed I ran my fingers lightly down Lily’s side and she stirred in her sleep. Her skin radiated warmth and as she awoke she stretched languidly and smiled at me.
“Is it really time to get up?” she asked and I grinned.
“We can stay here all day if you want. We deserve a day off.”
“Sorry my love, too much to do...” She trailed off and looked at me in horror.
“What?” I asked with more than a little confusion.
“I never meant to say...” She blushed and fell silent as I continued to stare at her in confusion. “I mean... oh god.”
My frown must have told her how confused I was because she gave a nervous laugh and muttered something about my not noticing before she dashed to the bathroom, leaving me alone in bed wondering what had just happened.
Since she didn’t appear to be returning to bed anytime soon, I reluctantly got dressed and went downstairs to join the others.
Gregg had slept on the floor beside the fireplace since Becky had the couch with her injured leg. He didn’t seem too happy about it and was not his usual cheerful self though he perked up when Alicia delivered him a cup of coffee.
She had been sleeping in the little girl’s room and Phillip slept in the comfortable chair beside the fire, saying that he was quite comfortable despite Pat and Cass offering to give him his room back.
We were going to need to seriously think about moving to another place sooner rather than later, especially if we continued to grow our little group. I highly doubted that Lily would abandon the idea of taking in strays.
Rather than sit with everyone
else in the overcrowded living room, I opted to sit in the colder but peaceful dining room. The hens had produced more eggs and I was happily eating them scrambled as Cass and Lily descended the stairs.
“He really didn’t notice?” Cass asked.
“No, just lay there looking confused.” Lily replied and I frowned as I guessed they were talking about me.
“So what are you going to say?”
“No idea.”
“You have to say something to him, men are so dense sometimes.” Cass said with a giggle that cut off abruptly as they passed the dining room doorway and saw me sitting at the table. Lily blushed a bright crimson as she saw me and they both fled to the living room.
I still had no idea what was happening but could only assume I had done something wrong. I finished my breakfast and enjoyed the solitude for a short while longer until Pat poked his head through the door.
“You up for a walk?” he asked.
“Sure, anywhere in particular?”
“Phillip mentioned where we could find a boat, north of the island.”
“Lead on.” I said with a grin.
We made our farewells and I learnt that the rest of the group would be staying at the house to begin organising what would be taken when we left for the island.
I was quite eager to get across to it and set up our new home. It would allow me to keep a careful eye on the apartment building as well as provide some security and safety for Lily.
Rather than follow the road towards Lake Windermere and then turn north to follow the next road to the north, we opted to cut across the countryside.
A light dusting of snow had fallen overnight and the accompanying drop in temperature had left a frozen crust atop the snow that crunched with every step. It was fair to say that we wouldn’t be sneaking up on anyone.
We walked in silence for most of the morning which made it quite a pleasant journey. Pat had little need to fill the quiet with needless talk and I appreciated that about him.
As we walked and occasionally slid down the side of a hill that was steeper than I’d have preferred, Pat finally spoke.
“You’re an idiot.” He said.
“What. Why?”
“You know she loves you?”
“Who Lily?”
“Who else?” He asked with a glance to me that conveyed amusement and exasperation.
“She does?” I asked and he sighed.
“Of course she does. She’s upset with herself because she said it.”
“She did?” I was fast becoming aware of how many questions I was asking and how foolish I was sounding.
“Yes mate, she did.” Pat said with an amused chuckle.
I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do with that information. Love was a ridiculous concept and one that I had never really experienced.
Of course I understood what it was from an intellectual sense but even with my parents who apparently I was supposed to love, I had felt only a mild appreciation for their efforts in raising me and providing a start in life. I had no particular attachment to them.
“Oh.” Was all I could say and Pat laughed once again.
Was it something I felt for Lily and could I even feel such an emotion? Those were the questions that I asked myself repeatedly as I followed along behind Pat, so lost in thought that I was startled when he pointed out a couple of zombies on the road below us.
I gave a brief nod to acknowledge my readiness as I pulled free my knife and all thoughts and questions dropped away as we crunched through the snow towards the two zombies.
They were walking south along the road, keeping a healthy distance away from the edge of the lake and as soon as they saw us they increased their pace. I realised immediately that these were two of the more dangerous variety of zombie and a quick glance to Pat assured me that he knew it too.
The two zombies split apart as they approached, one moving towards Pat and the other aimed straight at me.
It was barefoot with blackened toes and gore stained its arms to the elbow. By the colour of the blood that coated its clothing it had fed recently and was still hungry for me.
I moved towards the lake and it hesitated before following. I grinned and lunged at it, swiping my blade across its face only for it to hop back out of the way before darting in towards me once my knife was past.
A sidestep to the right and I pulled back on my knife hand, reversing the swing and aiming once more for its head. It ducked and barrelled towards me, head low to strike me in the stomach and knock me from my feet.
We rolled through the snow as I slashed and stabbed it with my knife while using my free hand to keep its jaws away from my face.
I rolled towards the lake and it panicked as it caught sight of the approaching water and ceased trying to devour me as it scrambled backwards. I followed with a grim smile and pounced on its retreating form, wrapping one arm around its neck and driving my knife blade through the side of its skull. It went still beneath me.
Pat had a hold of his enemy by the neck and was pressing it against the ground as he raised his hammer. It descended and connected against the zombies head with a crunch and the fight was over.
He looked at me and I smiled back. It had been an interesting and unexpectedly difficult fight. If Becky were correct and more of them were becoming like these then we would have trouble.
With little need for talk we cleaned ourselves off as best we were able and continued along the road.
Numerous tracks in the snow, new and old filled the road and I couldn’t help but wonder if they had been made by the living or the undead. The zombies we had just killed had been heading southwards which indicated that they were moving into the area from nearly all directions now.
The next zombie we met was alone and definitely a shambler. It was struggling to push through the deep snow piled to the side of the road against the moss covered stone wall, too stupid to even walk through the already well-trodden tracks.
I graciously allowed Pat to kill it rather than take my hands out of my pockets to unsheathe my knife. It was entirely too cold to be without gloves and unfortunately I had neither gloves nor hat. Two items of clothing that I was determined to find.
“So where is this boat we are looking for?” I asked Pat as he was cleaning off his hammer with relatively clean snow.
“Couple of private houses along the edge of the lake and if they don’t have anything, there’s a hotel in a sheltered bay up near Ambleside.”
“How close to that town?” I asked curiously.
“Maybe ten minutes walk on a good day.” Pat said. “According to Phillip they had a load of watercraft to rent to guests.”
“From what we’ve heard, Ambleside is just a dead town now.” I said, “If the zombies there are moving outwards looking for food, that hotel might be too close.”
“Well let’s hope the houses have something then.” he said and I sighed.
Considering the luck we’d been having, I doubted we’d find anything before going so far north that we were in serious danger.
The first house we found had nothing of use and looked to have been thoroughly looted by someone in the past, either the deserters or Rachel and her minions. No matter who it had been, they’d left nothing for us to use.
We continued along the road and towards noon we came across another house. Set back from the road and hidden from view by dense foliage and a long driveway that had a locked iron gate preventing access, from a distance it looked unscathed.
When the gate refused to move we turned to the walls at either side of it. They were six feet or so in height and made of a pale red brick with a solid concrete top. No doubt they were quite a deterrent to the casual person who happened by before the apocalypse but merely a minor hindrance for us.
The trees were thick pine evergreens and a pain to push through leaving me sticky with sap and more than a little snow and ice that managed to fall from the trees and go right
down my back. I shivered and pulled the collar closer to my neck to try to avoid more of the same.
Pat had even more trouble than I had with his larger frame; he broke through the trees with no small amount of swearing that accompanied the cracking sounds of branches breaking.
We crossed the snow covered lawn and I was pleased to see that no tracks were apparent which meant that we may well have found somewhere that had yet to be looted.
“Nice place.” Pat grunted as we watched the house and I had to agree with him.
Set right up against the edge of the lake, the grey stone building likely held at least five bedrooms. A conservatory on the far side away from us would have incredible views over the lake on one side and contoured gardens on the other.
The peaked roof had several windows set into it which no doubt increased the amount of space inside and a separate garage was set off to our right. I could just see the edge of a teak coloured decking that extended out over the water.
It was the kind of house that only someone with a significant amount of money would buy and likely had an excellent security system that was worthless without power.
We watched the house for five minutes to see if any movement could be seen inside or if anyone wanted to come out and chase us away. When nothing untoward happened we walked toward the back of the building. Our first priority was to find a boat and then we could loot the house of anything of value to us.
At the far end of the decking was a short dock and beyond that a wooden shed that I hoped would house a boat of some sort. A small pleasure craft, rowboat or whatever, I would be happy with anything that could transport us to the island.
“Go away.” A male voice called as we were crossing the decking and we stopped.
A middle aged man was holding a shotgun aimed at us from the open patio doors and I swore softly.
“How many bloody people have guns around here?” Pat muttered.
“Go on, or I’ll shoot.” The man said.
His voice wavered and I couldn’t help but notice how painfully thin he was. I suspected that he had been living in the house without venturing out for quite some time. I held up my hands and flashed him my most winning smile.
Killing the Dead (Books 4-6) Page 40