“Thanks.”
He took a sip, grimacing at the bitter taste and I waited as patiently as I could for him to give his report. As much as I knew he was exhausted, a part of me wanted to scream at him to get a move on. I was smart enough to know that my impatience was due to my own exhaustion but even so, it was damned hard not to snap at him.
“The fleet, such as it is, consists of forty-four ships.” He placed his empty coffee cup onto the low table between us and leant back, running one hand down his face. “Two destroyers, thirteen fishing boats, three cargo ships, one cruise ship, four transport barges, one fuel tanker and twenty private yachts of various sizes.”
“As of now,” he continued. “One of those destroyers is on permanent patrol around the island seeking any sign of the sub.”
“The yachts are all being manned and provisioned. They will sail south with a mix of my own troops and Samuels… acolytes.”
“Do you expect there to be any friction between the groups?” I asked.
“No, ma’am. My people have their orders and I understand that Samuel spoke at length to his.”
“I did indeed. They are aware of their role.”
“They will set off today, heading south in search of any survivors.”
“And the other thing?”
“Each of the ships has someone we can trust with the equipment to try and isolate that signal. If it’s coming from London, we’ll know soon enough.”
“Okay,” I sighed. “That’s two of our problems solved, what about the others?”
I’d been away all night going through scenarios and for the life of me, I was stumped. I just didn’t know what to do about the horde of undead or how to approach Shahid without making things a thousand times worse.
“We have missiles,” Admiral Stuart said. “I’m loathe to use them but if we need to we can use the remaining destroyer to bombard the shore and make that army of zombies a little smaller.”
“But,” I said with a faint smile. “There’s a reason you haven’t already used them I’m guessing.”
“Yes. If there’s a threat out there, a human threat, then we might need them.”
“The submarine,” I said with a sigh.
It kept coming back to that. Who was in control of it and were they friendly. More importantly was the worry that it might be equipped with nuclear weapons. If that was the case then we were pretty much fucked.
“Perhaps we do not need to obliterate them all,” Samuel said and we both looked at him.
“Oh?”
“The scourge follows the Reaper that leads them, yes?”
I nodded, smile widening a little as I understood what he meant.
“Cut off the head of the snake.”
“Yes, My Lady. We target that Reaper and the horde will dissipate. That creature is the only thing keeping them together.”
“Sounds good to me,” the admiral said. “I can see what I can put together.”
“As will I,” Samuel added.
“Fine. You two sort it out amongst yourselves. Now, our next problem?”
“I have prepared an escort,” Samuel said and smiled when I looked at him blankly. “I suspect that we shall argue about it, but you will insist on heading north to speak with her. That being the case, I have fifty acolytes waiting for you.”
“And fifty of my people,” Admiral Stuart added hastily. “There’s no way we can risk you going alone.”
I knew there was little I could do to argue them out of it and frankly, I was way too tired to try. I nodded agreement and they shared a look of surprise at my acquiescence.
“Two hours,” I said. “That will give me time to finish up here.”
“As you command,” Samuel agreed with a low bow.
“Now, as to… ah.”
I cut off as the door opened and Cass poked her head inside the room. Seeing the three of us, awake and talking, she stepped inside, closing the door quietly behind her.
“What’s the news?” I asked.
“The numbers are small but growing. There is someone out there spreading rumours about you… us.”
“What rumours?”
“The usual. You are a despot, seizing power so that you can convert us all to your lover’s religion.” She cast an apologetic glance at Samuel. “That you have killed Ryan so you can be with Samuel and take over.”
“My Lady!” Samuel began but I waved him to silence.
“What else?”
“That you are planning on culling the island's population, that you’re hoarding all the food for yourself and cutting rations, that we’ll all be eating rats or starving before the summers out. I could go on.”
“No, don’t bother. I get the idea.”
And I did. It was more than a little depressing too. All I wanted to do was to make things better for people.
“Where are we with processing the CDF people?”
“Barely begun, ma’am,” Admiral Stuart said with a look at Samuel.
“It needs to be done quickly. We have too few of our people on the streets right now and sending the ships south and me taking a hundred of them north with me, it will leave us thin on the ground.”
“I understand, ma’am, but…”
“Seriously!” I snapped and then stopped myself, waving my hand in apology. “I’m sorry, I’m just tired. Please. Do what you can.”
“Of course.”
“How are we, ration wise?”
“Enough for four months as it stands,” Cass said. “Bringing in more people will drop that down of course.”
I pressed my fingers to my temples in an effort to stem the headache that had started and closed my eyes as I thought. What would Ryan do? That was easy, he would go out and get more.
“Draw up a list of potential targets we can loot for food,” I said to the Admiral then looked at Cass. “And if you could begin drawing up a list of all the things we need besides food.”
“Sure,” she said with a strained smile.
It was clear that she was concerned for me but I couldn’t worry about that just then. My hand pressed to my stomach though, an unconscious gesture that showed that perhaps I was just as worried.
“Once you’ve done that it would be useful if you could start up a list of people we can trust won’t abuse their positions. We need a working government.”
“I’ll see it gets done,” she agreed.
“You have two days to get me the list and then we will give people a week.”
“For what?” Admiral Stuart asked, leaning forward.
“To prepare themselves for a party.”
The three of them exchanged looks and I could see the confusion in their faces. They must have thought me mad but I had a reason.
“People are on edge and if those rumours are really spreading, they need to see that we mean only the best for them. In two days we will announce the formation of a new government and then, to celebrate a return to normalcy, we will have a day of festivities.”
“Why?” Cass asked.
“They’ve been living in fear for so long and too many of them need to blow off steam. A festival will allow us to do that. Double the ration for that day, allow some of the booze Ryan brought back to be used – in moderation – and organise some games.”
“Will we have enough time to do that?”
“The one thing we have is a lot of idle hands,” I said. “Put them to work. I’m sure you’ll find ample volunteers and I want everyone who is willing, to be working towards a common goal that they can see. Not something that might never come.”
“Like surviving the apocalypse,” Samuel said with a thin-lipped smile.
“More than that,” I continued. “It will get people moving, reminding them of what it was like to be doing something. During the festival, I want you to go out and start recruiting for the CDF.”
It felt predatory but it was necessary. We needed more people willing to fight, to die for our cause. Hell, we needed more people to join the De
ad and sacrifice themselves for the remainder.
“I doubt we will lack for volunteers,” the admiral agreed. “But what will we be training them for? Raids on the mainland?”
“No.” I’d thought long and hard about it and come up with something I thought would actually work. “I want an invasion force ready.”
“Our target?”
“The Isle of Man.”
They stared at me, wide-eyed and I almost laughed at their stunned expressions.
“Less than a hundred thousand people there before the fall,” I said. “We learnt from some people we met that there were survivors there until a cruise ship went aground. Multiple settlements and more importantly, ample farmland.”
“We could begin farming,” Cass breathed, eyes shining as she found hope for her daughter.
“You,” I said to the admiral with more than a little apology in my tone. “Will need to draw up invasion plans. We need something workable. There’s still going to be a lot of the undead there and nowhere near enough of us.”
“I shall have you something as soon as possible,” he said and then paused. “Do I have your permission to send some ships to scout?”
“The fleet is yours to command,” I said. “I trust you will not put the people of this island at risk.”
He somehow managed a smart salute from where he sat on the sofa and I was surprised that I managed to make one of my own in return.
“One final thing.” They all kept their eyes focused on me and I offered a weak attempt at a smile. “I want to thank you. All of you, for your help and your support. This can’t be easy.”
I directed that at the admiral, a man who had taken his oath seriously when he joined the navy. Finding out that there might actually be a real government out there was no doubt pulling at his loyalties, but even so, he had remained steadfast.
“The next few months will only get harder and we have some difficult times ahead, but together, I truly believe we will get through this and become stronger for it.”
“Hear, hear,” the admiral said. “Now, your pardon, but I have tasks to attend. Unless there’s anything else?”
“No, you go. Thanks.”
“I too, My Lady,” Samuel said with a deep bow.
As the two men left, Cass moved over to sit beside me. The door closed with a thump and she put her arm around me, pulling me close. That’s when the tears came.
She held me for some time as I cried silently. I wept for the man I loved, missing and perhaps in danger. For the life, I carried within me and the very real fear that I may well lose control of the island if the people truly turned against me. And also, for the fear that an army of the undead would find a way across to the island before we were ready and turn all my dreams to dust.
Chapter 8
“Good morning,” I said with a great deal of false cheer as I blinked at the light shining in my eyes.
“Shut up,” Dawn said but without her usual rancour.
Her strong hands pulled me to my feet and I took a moment to just stand, legs trembling from being in one position all night. The pillowcase they had used as a hood was discarded and I for one was glad to be out of it.
They had opted to take no chances the night before. Leaving me bound and blinded by the hood in a small room that was devoid of furnishings. Not that I was alone. They all stayed in the same room and while I had taken the time to sleep, it seemed they hadn’t. At least judging by the weary looks on their faces.
“Rough night?” I asked innocently and grunted as the butt of her weapon caught me in my midriff.
“Well, that was uncalled for,” I muttered as she pushed open the door.
None of the mercenaries spoke and I realised the source of their foul mood as I stepped out into the hallway of the old house we had taken shelter in.
There were marks on the door, long and straight as though something had stood outside it and scratched at the door. I didn’t hide my smile as I realised the Reaper had caught up with us again and in a show of its intelligence, it had assessed the danger rather than rushing in.
Dawn led the way, assault rifle raised and her eyes moving constantly as she searched for any threat. I was next and then Jer, his flamethrower held in such a way that I was sure I would be blackened charcoal if he so much as considered using it.
Erin and Isaac brought up the rear, their bodies tense and fear palpable. It was almost amusing to see just how unnerved the Reaper made them.
We stepped out into the crisp morning air and I shivered a little at the chill, unusual for the time of year. The garden was as wild and overgrown as it had been the night before, with a thick hedge surrounding the property and numerous large bushes spreading outwards unchecked amongst the waist high grass.
Dawn moved along the path, the only sound the crunch of gravel beneath her boots and I hesitated a feeling of unease creeping over me. I twisted my head this way and that as I sought the source of my unease and then I realised what it was.
The only sound was that made by Dawn’s boots. No birds, no insects, nothing else but the faint rustle of branch and grass as the wind caught them.
I looked up as Dawn hissed, gesturing for me to move and Jer’s hand on my back, pushing me ahead. I hid my grin with a ducked head and took the first step. The breeze was chill on my cheek and the rustle came again.
Another step, Dawn’s brows drawing down as she urged me to move faster. I knew I would get a beating for my recalcitrance but even so, I took just another slow step. Then another.
It burst from the thick grass, the broken branches and torn grass it had pulled over itself in some child-like attempt at camouflage falling away. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Dawn shouted, raising her assault rifle so very slowly, and Jer pushed against me, shoving me violently forward.
I twisted as I fell, kicking out and tangling my legs with his. He had a moment to look surprised before he tripped, straight into the path of the charging Reaper.
His scream was high pitched and shrill as it tore him almost entirely in half. Fire burst from the end of his flamethrower missing the zombie entirely but hitting the closest bush that went up surprisingly fast.
The Reaper roared its fury, throwing back its head and brandishing clawed hands that dripped with the blood of the fallen mercenary. Time returned to normal and I rolled away from both the Reaper and the rapidly expanding fire as the others began to shoot.
Blackened blood spurted from the bullet wounds that peppered the creature's body. It shook and bucked beneath each shot but didn’t slow its advance towards me. I twisted my hips as I rolled to my feet and was up and running, almost imagining I could feel the air part before its violent slash that narrowly missed my back.
I pushed through the thick grass, given a moment’s respite as the creature turned to lash out at Dawn, knocking the gun from her hands. She stumbled back, reaching for a knife and I realised they weren’t going to survive.
That couldn’t be allowed. I wanted to kill them myself and so I had no choice but to help. Fortunately, the funny thing about zip ties is that they look good when you see them on TV but in reality, they aren’t hard to break out of if you are willing to put up with a little pain. I was.
I linked the fingers of my hands together and swore softly as I realised it was a great deal more difficult than if they had been tied in front of me. Even so, time was short. I bent forward at the waist and lifted my hands as high as I could before bringing them slamming down against my body as I pulled my arms apart.
Pain flared as they cut into my wrists and my skin grew slick as blood flowed but I raised them again, slamming them violently down and was rewarded with a snap as they broke. I grinned and rushed forward.
The flamethrower was surprisingly light and it was a simple matter to point it at the zombie and pull the trigger. Flame rushed out and the creature shrieked its fury, stopping for a moment from trying to disembowel Dawn and running through the garden, wreathed in flame.
Smoke filled
the air and I had but a moment to gloat at the creature’s pain before I was pulled away. I had to release the flamethrower as it was still connected to the tank attached to Jer’s back and then we were out of the gate.
Once again, I was bundled into the back of the truck and Dawn climbed in beside me as Isaac took the wheel and Erin jumped in next to him. The truck sped off as quick as it could, which wasn’t very fast admittedly, and I had a moment to stare at the pillar of smoke rising up into the sky and grin.
Anyone following us, and I was pretty sure that someone would be, would see that and know it was most likely my doing. I nodded, a self-satisfied expression on my face as I settled back against the cab of the truck.
“Well, that was fun,” I said to Dawn.
She just glared, fiddling with the combat knife that she held. I sighed and put my hands behind my head as I leant back, enjoying the ride.
It was good to be alive.
Chapter 9
Port Ness, a handful of houses and a harbour sitting on the northernmost end of the island we called home. Half of the houses were built alongside the only road that led into the village, the rest were clustered before the harbour and that is where Shahid had gathered her forces.
They had stripped those houses along the road of everything that wasn’t bolted down and used it to build a barricade around that cluster. Doors had been removed, floorboards lifted, furniture carted out and even tiles taken from the roofs then piled up around a rough semi-circle of rusting cars.
I waited, seated in the backseat of a land rover as Samuel and Captain Jennings directed their people to spread out. Across the fields, overgrown with weeds, and through the stripped bear houses, weapons in hand.
Two hundred meters along the road, Shahid’s soldiers had begun to gather at their barricade, most of them bearing buckler and poignard but far too many of them with stolen armaments from the CDF stores.
Salt-spray blown from the wild sea just beyond the village mingled with the rain, driven against the windows of the land rover and sending a shiver down my spine. The day was more than chill, it was actually cold and decidedly wrong for the season.
Killing the Dead (Book 14): Enemies Unknown Page 6