“Damn right about that! Even I’m sick of their complaining.”
“You’re sure this place will suit?” I nodded towards the cluster of buildings that ran alongside the dock and she bobbed her head in agreement. “Yep, I checked it out myself. Should have everything we need to set up and maintain a connection with the island.”
“Hold up, we have movement.” Cass nodded towards the gangplank and the broad-shouldered man walking up it.
His expression was carefully neutral as he headed towards me and I pretended not to notice the look of amusement that Cass and Charlie shared. Isaac scratched at his light brown beard as he nodded once in greeting.
“Looks like Samuel’s lads are almost done with the search, just a couple more buildings to go.”
“Anything we should be concerned about?”
“This entire compound is fenced off, so when the people inside turned, they stayed inside. Lot of old bones and the fence is intact.”
“That’s good, right?” Cass looked from him to me as though I might have an answer. “Mean’s it’s secure.”
“Well, there’s about half a kilometre of buildings that hold everything from steel fabricators to a chemical works. There’s a lot of product on hand and its secure, which is something.” He scratched at his beard again and squinted up at the tree-covered hill that rose up behind those buildings as he thought. “My recommendation is to secure this entire compound and the village beyond.”
The village of Mostyn occupied both sides of a long road that curved around the back of the hill and connected to the road just at the far edge of the compound. An old place that had been in the area for centuries, it was secluded and far enough from Rhyl along the coast to the west, that it should be safe.
“Can we secure the village?”
“Sure, given time and enough fencing, we can enclose the entire place. The homes can be used for the workers that will be getting these industrial factories back up and running and for those who will be doing the logging and running the sawmill on the other side of the hill.”
I nodded along in agreement. Things had moved quickly after the murder of Vanessa and her team in London. We needed boats, tools, machine parts and above all else, weapons. Two frantic weeks of searching had brought us to Mostyn, a village on the north-easternmost part of Wales, that had an active sawmill nearby, forest for lumber, docks, boatyard and enough industries that we could have a good start.
With lumber we could start making boats, with steel, we could make weapons. It was a start at reviving an industry that would give us a chance of continuing without devolving back to a medieval style of life that just wouldn’t work.
“I am concerned about raiders,” Isaac said. “The southern communities that will talk to us are very clear about a large group of raiders in the area. Then, ten kilometres to the north-east is Liverpool and the parasite that’s there.”
“Your concerns are noted,” I said, a little primly. “But the River Dee is between us and Liverpool and we will have Charlie’s drones to watch for any of the parasites appendages heading our way. As for the raiders, we are far enough away for them to even notice us, but if they do, Samuel’s people are here.”
“And yours,” Cass added hurriedly, but I shook my head.
“No. The security forces are here primarily to ensure the safety of the workers. That is their main role and the very most important. It’s part of the reason we were able to persuade anyone to come at all.”
I couldn’t shake the feeling that anything could go wrong and with the speed with which we had put together the operation, I wouldn’t be surprised if it did. My goal, though, was the destruction of Sebastian Cho and his followers. After them, I would go after the raiders.
“There’s a village hall,” Isaac continued. “That’s big enough for the command centre and we can use that as the base of operations and as a place to keep you connected with the island.”
“Good, that sounds fine.”
“My people also located a place for you to stay,” he said. “A small estate between the village and the docks. It has a wall, large gardens and even a pond. Will be good for the little ones.”
I glanced at the three children and couldn’t help but smile. Somewhere for them to play safely and run around in the grass would be absolutely wonderful.
“Thank you.”
“No worries. We’ll get you set up then send the boats back to collect the second group of workers and supplies.”
“How we doing food-wise?”
“Enough to get us started, but we need to be planting in the fields around the village. I know a few of my lot will be willing to go out and hunt for some small game, then there’s plenty of fish.” He jerked his chin towards Angelina and Patricia who were staring over the side with rapt attention. “We should be fine.”
Samuel, stood at the far end of the dockyard, was being joined by the last of his people. They all lined up before him, creating a rough square. A hundred or more cultists who wore the white armband with the black half of the yin-yang symbol on it.
They were loyal to the memory of the man I had loved, and supposedly, to me. Even though I shouldn’t, after everything I had been through with Sebastian, I trusted them, and I knew that they would be guarding my children while I set about making the expedition work.
Aside from all of the other reasons we had picked the village, the primary one was water. It was an old place and for a long time would have relied on wells to provide water for the villagers. It was my intention to get them located, dug out and pumps fitted as one of the very first jobs.
Samuel turned and raised his arm, giving the signal that all was well. The ship's crew responded immediately, sending out the call to the others to head in and dock. Isaac watched those boats begin to ready themselves before turning to me.
“Maybe you would prefer to wait until we’ve secured the village.”
“No, I think not.”
“The children-“
“Will be fine. It will be good for them to explore a little and get some exercise. Samuel will see that we are adequately protected.”
My tone was off, I knew it and no doubt everyone listening did too. They didn’t say anything though, they didn’t need to, there was a noticeable tension between the former mercenary and me that had been there ever since our kiss.
“Right,” Cass said, into the silence. “Let’s get started then, we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Chapter 3
A woman died screaming, and I ducked the clumsy swing of a raiders sword then brought my axe up hard between his legs. His squeal of pain filled the air as he collapsed, and I moved past him as I rushed over to the raider that had just killed the woman.
I parried his sword with my axe and launched an attack of my own. We exchanged a quick flurry of blows before he tried to back off to gain some space. I pressed the attack, unrelenting in my assault until I forced a way past his guard and sank my knife in his throat.
The road was still, women in worn clothing spattered liberally with the blood of their enemies, stood with chests heaving as they stared at their dead friend. Three raiders and I had killed two of them while they had killed one of my recruits.
It wasn’t good enough.
“Did any survive?”
“No, mate.”
I gave a curt nod in response to my friend, too angry to add much more. We’d been caught unawares by the raiders and that was intolerable. An ambush they had set on the road, and I had led them right into it.
The man I had struck with my axe lay on the ground, squealing as he clutched his ruined crotch and with a single swipe of my axe, I ended his irritating noise and glanced around.
“Emma!”
“Yes?”
“Take, One with you. Check there’s no more.”
She didn’t reply, just set off into the undergrowth to the right of the road with One following after. Two stood beside my friend, the blood on her knife indicating that she, at
least, had been party to the killing of the third raider.
“Four will return as zombies,” I said to those gathered on the road. “So, four of you will take a knife and make your choice now. Fight or die.”
The women exchanged looks and one, a moon-faced woman with a white streak in her hair, raised a hand. I gestured irritably for her to speak.
“Shouldn’t we find somewhere safe in case there’s more?”
“If there are more, you will face them here. You will fight them and either kill them or die trying.”
They seemed able to sense my anger and didn’t raise any more objections though I could see their fear writ large on their faces. I held back my sneer as I turned away, hands tightening around the hilts of my weapons.
“Mate.”
“What?”
“You’re pushing too hard.”
Too hard! That was almost laughable. If anything, I had been going easy on them, allowing those women who hadn’t yet proven themselves to take part in the training that I had been giving to One and Two.
The raiders were all around us and increasing in number as we neared their satellite base on the edge of Worcester. Six weeks of skulking around the woods and back roads, crossing weed-choked fields and forests as we avoided the larger parties of raiders that had been searching for us since I had wiped out their base at the Enstone airfield.
I’d been forced to go slow, to avoid risk as we scavenged for food for the dozen women who had chosen to remain with me. The one’s with children had been left back with the women-only survivor group. Whether they would survive or not was no longer my concern, as all I was focused on was destroying the raiders.
“We’re tired, hungry and in need of rest,” Gregg continued, glancing up at the grey cloud-filled sky. “If you carry on, we won’t survive.”
That was Abigail talking. She whispered in his ear on a night, playing on her friendship with him so that he would parrot her words to me without her needing to speak to me at all. Something that I wasn’t ordinarily bothered about, but she knew that I would heed his words where I wouldn’t hers, and it annoyed me that she was right.
Even though I knew he was relaying her concerns, he was my friend and I wasn’t willing to simply dismiss him. I had too few friends in the world to be able to do that.
“We’re two miles from Worcester,” I said, letting out a soft sigh. “Two miles from their base. We defeat them and we can rest there for a short time to recover.”
“Yeah, but how’re you gonna beat them if we’re all too tired to fight?”
I was saved from the need to reply as a low moan sounded behind me and I spun, weapons raised instinctively. The first of the raiders was stirring, rising to his feet, the open wound still leaking blood as he sniffed at the air.
Moon-faced woman was the first to step forward, her knife held in a hand that trembled. She dashed in and screamed as the zombie moved faster than she had expected, grabbing at her arms and pulling her close.
The other women moved forward but stopped at my glare, and just watched as the moon-faced woman struggled. The zombie was stronger than she was, unnaturally so, and its teeth snapped bare inches from her face as she tried desperately to hold it at bay.
“Remember what I have been showing you!” I snapped. “Balance!”
Her eyes wide with fear flicked to me for just a moment and something seemed to click inside of her. She stopped trying to pull away as she focused all of her attention and swung her leg, kicking the zombies legs out from beneath it.
As it went down, it pulled her with it and she hit the cracked tarmac road with a grunt but was able to use the creatures disorientation to her advantage as she pulled free her arm and stabbed down with the knife.
The others let out a small cheer as the zombie died and I took a step forward, almost smiling as I said, “well done, Three.”
She beamed as she pushed herself up, retrieving her knife. The other raiders were starting to rise and I gestured for her to step back as the other volunteers set their jaws, and raised their knives before striding forward.
“Once we’re done here, we will find somewhere to rest,” I said to my friend. “Somewhere they won’t be looking for us.”
“Where the hell would that be?” he asked, and I grinned.
“In the city, of course.”
He groaned and I laughed as another of the zombies was killed. The smiling woman raising her bloodied knife into the air in exultation. Her friend yelped as the zombie’s nails raked deep furrows in her arm, but her knife found its mark and her zombie died too.
“Four and Five, join your sisters,” I said as I watched the last zombie rise to its feet, the fallen woman killed by the raiders. “Who will be number six?”
There was some shifting of feet and faces turned away. None wanted to have to kill someone who had been their friend just a short time ago, but that sort of thinking was for another time. It had no place in the new world and they would learn that.
“You,” I said, pointing at an older woman with copper curls and a face full of freckles. “Kill it.”
She swallowed past the lump of fear in her throat and licked dry lips nervously as she raised her knife and stepped up. There was no complaint, no hesitation, which was good. It meant she feared me more than the zombies.
A moan escaped the lips of the risen woman, and she lurched towards the approaching redhead. Tears were shining in the eyes of that redheaded woman, but she didn’t hesitate as she struck once and true, ending the life of her former friend.
“Well done, Six. Join your sisters.”
“What now?” Gregg asked. I held up a hand as the undergrowth rustled but it was just Emma and One returning.
“Nothing out there,” Emma said. “I figure these three were out on patrol and heard us coming so set up a quick ambush.”
“Good. Two of you take the dead woman and hide her body as best you can.”
“Why?” Two asked.
“Because when the other raiders come looking, they will find three of their own, dead. If they know one of our people were killed, they will not be as fearful as they will be when they think it was just their own who were slaughtered.”
She gave a nod at that and gestured for Six to join her. Together, they lifted the body of their former friend and carried it away into the underbrush. I watched them go before turning to the others, a grin growing on my face.
“Who here has butchered meat before?”
The women exchanged glances, but it was Gregg who spoke to ask, “why?”
“Because we will skin and butcher these bodies so that when their friends find them, they will know what will happen to them.”
I didn’t need to see their looks of horror and disgust. It didn’t matter. I’d told the leader of these raiders that I would make him fear me and that was exactly what I planned to do.
“Why, mate?”
“Because scared people make mistakes,” I said, not looking at him. “They hide away in their base and they don’t go out and terrorise the communities nearby. Because they need to know that there are consequences for their actions.”
I looked back at him then, letting him see the anger I wore, that rage that had been growing in me as I traversed the world, I had been so long absent from. It was a world of victims and monsters and I was sure as hell not going to allow those monsters to continue on, to ever be a threat to my family.
No, I would send a message, I would let them know. There was only one monster that stalked the world and all who wanted to live, better behave or I would find them and make them bleed.
“Because,” I said, barely able to contain my fury. “I made a promise to protect the innocent and kill the wicked. A promise I fully intend to keep.”
Chapter 4
The coastal weather had not been kind to the village of Mostyn and it had taken us the better part of a month to get things in order. That was before we could even consider starting any serious work on rebuilding the logging
and timber industry.
Trees and plenty of grassy areas had no doubt made the village picturesque but years of neglect had seen that undergrowth spread until it almost engulfed the buildings it surrounded. The road had vanished beneath a layer of old leaves and moss-covered every surface.
Any exposed metal was corroded by the sea-salt that could be tasted on the air with every breath and the wooden window frames and doors had warped and split, their paint peeling and flaking away.
The first order of business was to locate the wells, which I left entirely up to the engineers we had brought with us. They did their thing and organised the workers in digging them out while Isaac sent his security teams to create a perimeter.
Only once access to water and the security of the workers was complete could I order Samuel to start sending out patrols into the surrounding area to look for any danger. While we may not fear an army of the undead descending upon us, there were still ample threats in the world. As such, the workers were billeted at the port until fencing could be located and erected around the homes they would be staying in.
Which presented another problem all of its own; those houses had been empty for years. Many of them had contained animals and humans, who then became the undead. Dust and spiderwebs, rodent infestations and mould were all issues that would need dealing with before they could be lived in.
So, with my children under the watchful care of some of Samuel’s most loyal followers, I rolled up my sleeves and set to work with everyone else. Together we stripped the carpets and furniture from the houses, piling them on the roads to be later taken away and burned.
Books, personal belongings, clothes and bedding, all removed. The only items that were kept were those that could be thoroughly cleaned, such as pots and pans, plates and cutlery. When all the ruined items were stripped away, there wasn’t much left.
I made a mental note to ensure the first timber cut went to building basic furniture for those workers to relax on after a hard day’s work and went straight back to scrubbing the walls and floors.
It took days of effort, working from dawn until dusk before we had them in anything resembling a liveable shape. Once we had somewhere to live, we erected the chain-link fencing that had been stripped from where it had stood beside the train tracks that went past the village. Since there were no trains, I figured there was no need to have a fence that would prevent people from getting onto the tracks.
Killing The Dead | Book 22 | Fury Page 2
