Killing The Dead (Book 18): Sacrifice

by Murray, Richard

  The way was clear, and I had a few minutes of walking before I caught sight of my friends hurrying away down the road. Briony, with Isaac slung over her shoulders like a sack of potatoes, was in the lead. She tirelessly ploughed a furrow through the snow, while Gregg walked behind with his knife drawn.

  I slowed my pace as I came to the plaza, cautious, as the creature may have fled the store. Happily, it had not and while I could see smoke still boiling from the building, the creature was nowhere in sight.

  Fire confused them and it was my hope that it had found itself in the back room with no real way out. I’d no doubt it would find its way eventually, but depending upon how flammable the building was, it may well be burnt to a crisp first.

  It was a short run down towards the pier, but even so, I pushed along at a fast pace. Past the shops that sold the usual seaside knick-knacks to holidaymakers. Past the enclosed fairground rides that rose up just before the pier and then I was on it.

  Covering the entire front of the wide pier was a white painted building a good twenty feet high. Flag poles rose from the roof, the flags hanging limp, colours faded by the sun. ‘Clacton Pier’ was emblazoned in yellow letters above the main entrance and faded posters for entertainers that had likely died two years past still lined the walls.

  I hurried on inside. It was dark and still, with an odour of damp that could be detected even above the salt tang of the sea. The penny machines and amusements were all quiet and still, many overturned, their coins spilt across the floor.

  Straight ahead, almost directly opposite the front entrance, were the rear doors. They led out onto the main length of the pier and I caught a glimpse of Gregg’s back as he stepped through. I rushed on after him and stepped out into the light only to pull up short as I almost collided with him.

  “The fuck?” Gregg said, turning to look at me.

  Ahead of us, almost a full two metres of the wooden boards that made up the floor of the pier had been lifted up and stacked neatly at the side opposite. I stared at it in confusion for a moment until Gregg nudged me with his elbow.

  “Company,” he hissed.

  Approaching us were three people. Actual, living people. I was more than a little surprised and I just watched them approach, noting the spear gun one held casually in his hands.

  “Ahoy,” the leader called out. “Toss any weapons you have across to us if you wouldn’t mind. If you don’t, you can turn around and piss right off back to where you came from.”

  Chapter 13

  I leant over the table, staring down at the maps and reports that covered the entire surface. No matter how I looked at it, hunkering down and defending the island just wasn’t tenable. Which meant that my idea was going to be our last, best, hope of surviving.

  Though the cost would be almost too high.

  “Anything from Commander Lowery?” I asked, quietly.

  Admiral Stuart looked up from the report he’d been reading, a frown creasing his brown and a tenseness to his jaw that told me he was as frustrated as I was. He shook his head, barely moving it.

  “No. The last message we received was that they had been detected and were under attack. It’s been silent since then.”

  I nodded slowly. That meant we would have no clear idea of what the fleet was doing until it came closer, which by our best count, would be in a couple of days. That didn’t give us much time to prepare and even then, I couldn’t imagine it would make much of a difference.

  Genpact had been clear with the images and video they sent. The threat was clear. If we won, they would just nuke us. The only reason they hadn’t done so would be because they didn’t want to remain in their bunker for longer than they needed to.

  I strongly suspected that they would hold off on ruining the world they intended to live in, but given the choice of a little more radiation or sharing with us… well, I knew what the answer to that would be.

  Which meant that no matter what I did in the next few days, my people were doomed. It was a hard pill to swallow but one that I couldn’t avoid.

  I glanced around at the room full of technicians. They moved with purpose, each of them intent on their tasks and duties. They were working to survive, to rebuild the world that we had lost. I couldn’t take away the last of their hope.

  So, I would play out my role. I would lead the charge and die in battle so that I was spared the inevitable end. More than that though, I would do it so that my people kept hope alive until the very end.

  It was a burden, but one I carried gladly for they were my people and I had promised to do everything I could to get them through the end of the world and out the other side. I just wished that Ryan would be there with me, at the end.

  “All told, we have around sixty boats that are being prepped as we speak,” Admiral Stuart said, laying down the report he held. “They won’t be fast, but they will get the job done.”

  “Against what?” Shepherd snapped. She grabbed a piece of paper and crumpled it in her hand as she waved it before his face. “One hundred and forty-three bloody ships! Six hundred raiders and God alone knows what type of weapons they have!”

  “Our best guess is that missiles and heavy ordinance will be out,” Admiral Stuart said, remaining calm as he gently pushed aside the hand holding the crumpled report. “There will be small arms fire from the raiders and heavier calibre machineguns on the ships.”

  “What about those cannon?” Shepherd asked, pointing at yet another report.

  “As far as we can tell, there are no cannon on these ships. The largest is a Ticonderoga-class Cruiser. American, with the usual armaments. The missile systems will not be an issue. Even if those raiders had the missiles, I doubt they could aim them properly.”

  “The main guns will shred our smaller vessels though and it has three torpedo tubes that could present a real threat to us.”

  “You don’t think they have military personnel on board?” I asked, curious as to how he would know that.

  “Yes, ma’am. From the video images that have been relayed by Genpact, we are as certain as we could be under the circumstances, that there is none of the original crew aboard. It was likely abandoned and found by the raiders.”

  “What makes you so sure?” I pressed, gently.

  “Whoever is in control of it, don’t know how to sail it,” he said, with all the assurance of a seasoned seaman. “Add to that, the state of the hull where there is damage still showing. Anyone with any sense would realise the danger of leaving it unrepaired. There are a number of other, small, indicators that only crew would notice.”

  I shrugged at that, bowing to his superior knowledge of military craft and their handling. In truth, my focus when viewing those videos had not been on the state of the craft, but rather on the abhorrent acts being committed on their decks.

  “So.” I couldn’t help my heavy sigh as I stared at the paper-strewn desk. “One hundred and forty-three ships against our sixty fishing craft and two destroyers. Pretty shitty odds.”

  “Perhaps, ma’am.”

  “Oh”?

  “The majority of their craft have no armaments. It will be the crew that will be the bigger danger, but not until we get close, which is when those weapons will be of little use. They have seven military class vessels, but only three of them have been identified by my staff as likely threats.”

  “Three?”

  “Yes, ma’am. From the video images and the stills, we have determined that two destroyers and one cruiser have active weaponry that they will be able to use at sea. We suspect that there are some land strike missiles in place on two of the other ships which will be a problem if they approach the island. At sea, they will have little use.”

  “While they have a large number of weapons on show, we have to assume they have the ammunition for them but that might not be the case. No matter, as these raiders are just that. Raiders.”

  He gave me a steady look and without more than the slightest pause, added, “With you will be every rema
ining Royal Naval crew member and marine. We are trained for this.”

  “We?” I asked, shaking my head. “You know how this is going to go. We can’t risk you all.”

  “You have no choice, ma’am,” he said, stiffly. “We swore an oath and we will do our duty. Though, perhaps with a little less fatalism than your other… volunteers.”

  I looked back over my shoulder at the small group of acolytes waiting beside the door. The bodyguards Lisa had assigned to me as she prepared the rest of the Dead for the fight. I turned back to the Admiral, smile fixed in place.

  “This will be a one-way trip. Do your people know that?”

  “Yes, ma’am. I made each and every one of them aware and provided them with the opportunity to remain on the island, their duty done.” He practically glowed with pride as he added, “None did so.”

  “Very well then, thank you. I am sure you will be a welcome addition.”

  “Bah!” Shepherd snapped. “Enough of this. It’s all well and good having crews for the ships and some guns on our side, but that means bugger all if that fleet just rolls right over us.”

  “We will position ourselves to the south,” Admiral Stuart said, evenly. “The fleet will have no choice to but turn around or face us as they will not be able to pass us by.”

  “They could sail right through us, taking out the majority of our fleet without stopping and then head straight on to this damned island and lay waste to us all!”

  “We will not allow that!”

  “You won’t have a choice!”

  I raised my hands, gesturing them to quieten down as both were raising their voices as they readied themselves for yet another shouting match. Something I was sure wouldn’t help with the frayed nerves of the staff working around us.

  Without even trying I could see heads turned our way as they watched us, many without even trying to hide their curiosity.

  “Enough!” I snapped. “Rather than argue, Shepherd. What do you suggest?”

  “A white flag.”

  “What?” I shared a glance with the equally bemused Admiral. “You want to surrender?”

  “No.” The older woman practically seethed, cheeks flushed with her anger. “I want us to sit out there at sea and broadcast a message to them as we wave our white flag. I want them to slow down, to be willing to listen to our desperate offer of a bribe large enough to keep them away.”

  “We won’t bribe them!”

  “Of course not!” She cried, slapping her hand down sharply on the desk. “They must be stopped, and this is the only way I can see us doing it.”

  “Explain then,” Admiral Stuart said, leaning in, curiosity aroused.

  “That cruiser of theirs is the biggest threat and that is where the leader of this group will be, yes?”

  I nodded at that, it made sense after all.

  “Well then. We give them a look at all our ships lined up waiting for them and we tell them how we can cost them lives and ships, or they can accept a… payment, a tribute, to keep them from our shore.”

  “They’ll demand, food, supplies, women,” I said, softly. “We won’t give them.”

  “No, we won’t,” she said, grimly. “But we will suggest that we send over someone to discuss terms of our surrender and tribute.”

  “Anyone who goes over to their ships will be killed and likely in a horrendous way,” Admiral Stuart said. “I won’t ask anyone to go.”

  “You don’t have to,” I said, heart sinking. “It’s my job. I’m in charge and I’ll need to be the one to do it.”

  “No.” I looked over at Shepherd as I heard the steely determination in her voice. “It won’t be you.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because getting across to that boat is only the first part,” she said with a wicked grin. “And, I’ll tell you now. It will be me that goes, and I’ll not argue about it.”

  “Tell us then,” I said, knowing that to argue with her would be foolish. I had seen such determination before. “What is your plan.”

  Shepherd leant in, voice dropping low as she began to speak. My eyes widened as I listened and when she was done, I stared at her in dumbfounded surprise. It was audacious, to be sure, and something that I would never ask anyone to do.

  I couldn’t. The very idea of what she would face appalled me and yet, as I looked at her, I saw the determination there in her eyes, in the set of her jaw, in the way she held herself. She had made peace with her plan and was fully prepared to go through with it.

  “Why?” I asked, voice barely above a whisper.

  “Because, dear girl, I too swore to protect the people of this island. No matter the cost to myself. I stood by when that fat fool, Wells took what he could for himself and his cronies. I could have done more to prevent the loss of life we faced because of him.”

  A smile formed for just a moment, one of full of sorrow, but also acceptance.

  “I failed the people once and I could not face them knowing that I had done so a second time. I will not stand by while you risk yourself for them. This is my choice and I am aware of what will happen. I accept it fully, knowing that it will mean the rest of you have a chance.”

  She lifted her chin and stared at me, defiantly.

  “Please do not deny me this.”

  I closed my eyes, heart aching for what was to come, knowing that ultimately, it wouldn’t mean much and the hell she would suffer would be for nought. I couldn’t say that though, I couldn’t deny them their hope.

  No, I had to grit my teeth and let them risk themselves for no reason. I swallowed past the lump in my throat and turned away so that she wouldn’t see my tears.

  “Very well, prepare yourself.”

  Chapter 14

  “Well then, what will it be?”

  I stared at the man for several long seconds as he hefted the spear gun. While I had little doubt that he could hit at least one of us across the short distance, I could probably hit him with a knife if I threw it just right.

  But the question was, what would that achieve? The man, tall and slim, clearly had been on the same starvation level diet that the rest of us had endured for the past two years. His hair, black and fading to grey, was thinning on top.

  A square-jawed face and eyes that glittered with intelligence. There was an easy charm about him that I instantly despised. I’d known men like him before. Reasonably good looking and self-assured. Yes, I had known many men like him before and not one had I liked.

  His companions were different. The second man, I dismissed immediately. Young with a round face and freckles, he stood with shoulders hunched, body tense and ready for flight. He was a follower at best and not a real threat.

  The woman, she was different. She held herself in a manner that suggested she was about to launch into an argument. There was an anger in her eyes and the set of her jaw. I could guess why, what with being the only woman with two, and possibly more, men.

  I could take any one of them individually and likely all three at the same time if I could get across the two-metre gap in the boards. While the railings still remained on either side, suspended over the gap by the bolts holding those sections to the others, I wasn’t entirely certain I could clamber across them while fending off attack.

  A roar from behind settled the question for me and with just a quick look back over my shoulder, I tossed my knives across the gap. They landed on the boards with a heavy thunk and I gestured for Gregg and Isaac to do the same with their own.

  Briony, showing some common sense, had pulled the tattered hood of her coat up over her head, face lost in the deep shadows it created. A smart move as I didn’t want her particular state to be obvious as that could cost us any potential help those new people would offer.

  “That’s all of them?” the leader asked as the last knife landed at his feet.

  His companions were staring down at the small pile of knives with wide eyes and I flashed a quick grin as I nodded.

  “All we have. You going to let
us across or are you waiting for the zombie to find us?”

  He made a curt gesture with one hand and the other two scurried across to the piled planks. They lifted one, easily long enough to fit across the gap and dropped it into place. It made a narrow and somewhat less than sturdy bridge.

  A second board followed the first and once more, the man gestured with his hand for us to come across. I shot a warning glance to my companions and went first, knowing that I would be able to take the spear gun from him without any real problems.

  I rolled my eyes as the spear-gun wielding man stopped me as soon as I reached his side. He gestured for his little minion to search me for weapons, which he did rather ineffectually. He missed the razor blade sewn into the secret pocket in the waistband of my jeans, along with the six-inch steel spike that was in yet another secret pocket inside my left sleeve and the throwing knife that sat in a sheath hanging in the centre of my back.

  Not that I was going to point out what he had missed, but it was nice to know I was facing idiots and not serious threats.

  Gregg came next, helping to guide the wounded Isaac. They faced an equally ineffectual pat down and more than one side-eyed glance at the wound.

  “It’s not a bloody bite!” Isaac snapped when the younger man looked nervously at it once more.

  Briony crossed the makeshift bridge next and as the younger man went to pat her down, I braced myself. Should he notice her otherness, I would have to act quickly. Fortunately, he appeared to be either short of sight or simple-minded as he gave her a quick and nervous pat down before stepping back.

  “Now that’s over,” I said, quietly conversational. “How about you pull in these planks and we find somewhere nice and warm where we can sit and talk?”

  “I’ll decide what we do!” the leader snapped back, and it took a great deal of willpower not to roll my eyes and take the spear-gun away from him.

  “As you wish. Please, by all means, tell us what we are to do.”