“Where are you going?” Julie asked quietly.
“I want to see if the house has anything useful before we go” I said and then added “Watch Emma and wait here.”
Frost covered the ground and every time I breathed out, a fine mist formed. The morning air was crisp and the sky was clear. Beyond the garden I could see the pale edifice of the outlet store rising above the trees.
With a grin at the reminder of the last night’s violence I crossed the garden to the back door of the two floor semi-detached house, whose garage we had taken refuge in.
I could see nothing moving in any of the gardens around me and a quick glance toward the street revealed it to be empty. I tried the door handle and found it to be locked so put the crowbar to good use.
A sharp crack sounded loudly as the door broke open and I flinched at the noise. I was not quite the accomplished housebreaker that I would need to be to survive. I waited several minutes to ensure no zombies had heard and were on their way to eat me.
When it seemed that all was clear I pushed open the door and entered the house. I moved from room to room, checking each for any threat and when I was sure that the house was empty I started searching for anything of use.
It wasn’t a bad haul at all. I found several bottles of water and some chocolate bars for Emma. We had plenty of food that had been taken from the Cafe kitchens and I didn’t want to overburden us since it looked likely that we would be walking. A first aid kit was the most useful find and I carried my finds out to the garage and the girls.
Emma was awake and rubbing at her eyes as I entered the garage and I passed over the chocolate to Julie.
“Thanks.” She said as she opened the first and passed it to Emma.
“Don’t thank me yet. I doubt we will be able to visit a dentist anytime soon so let’s hope you don’t get a cavity” I said with a grin.
My pleasant mood seemed to put her at ease and she chattered quietly as she ate her chocolate. Emma ate hers silently and when she was finished informed us in a whisper that she needed to use the bathroom.
“The house is clear, you can both go up and get cleaned up and then we will get on our way” I told Julie who nodded and taking Emma’s hand, led her into the house. When they returned I had the rucksacks ready by the back door.
We set off cautiously with a wary gaze kept on the houses around us. The roads seemed clear of the undead and we saw few vehicles that would be any use to us. Beyond the street where we had spent the night it was all fields and trees and I started to relax a little as we passed the last house.
The Forest of Bowland was approximately ten miles from the outlet store and if we had followed the road, even on foot it would have only taken a few hours. Forced to walk cross country, trying to avoid roads and farm houses with a young child in tow, it took quite a bit longer.
Rest stops were taken frequently. Emma was too young to sustain a long march in rough terrain and neither Julie nor I had been eating a healthy and balanced diet. I was finding it harder than I had expected to keep going and was as happy to rest as the others were.
Throughout the day I would hear the occasional dog barking as we passed within hearing of a farm house and I could see some birds flying here and there, but we saw little sign of people. No planes flew overhead and no cars were moving on the roads that we could see in the distance.
“We are going to need to find somewhere to spend the night soon.” I said to Julie in the late afternoon.
“I’m not entirely sure but I think there’s a village coming up” she replied breathlessly.
“That may not be the best place to look.”
“It’s a tiny place, less than a thousand people live there. It’s built up where two main roads intersect so it could still have people there.” Julie said.
I grunted and nodded and we continued on in silence. Emma still had hold of my hand and I was more dragging her at points rather than leading. I actually hoped that the village had no zombies as I was far too tired to do anything about them.
True to form my luck was bad. The village lay in ruins. Almost half the houses were burnt out shells and cars and trucks had been used to form barricades across the roads leading in and out of the village. Hundreds of corpses filled the streets and the stench was overwhelming.
“What the hell happened here?” Julie whispered.
“I have no idea but it looks quiet now, let’s see if we can find somewhere to sleep at least” I said.
Julie lifted Emma into her arms and I nodded thanks as it freed my hands to wield the crowbar a great deal more effectively. We moved forwards into the outer edges of the village.
The carnage was impressive up close, though Julie and Emma didn’t seem to have the same appreciation of it as I did. The main road leading into the village had the most corpses and the ground behind the barricade was littered with spent shell casings.
Several automatic weapons lay on the ground and I picked one up. I have never had much use for guns, too noisy and far too noticeable even before the zombie apocalypse, so it took several minutes of careful examination before I managed to release the ammo clip.
“It’s empty” I said. “I think some soldiers made a stand here against a lot of undead.”
“Where would they have come from?”
“Either Burnley to the south or perhaps Blackburn, I think both of these roads lead directly to those places.” I said with a gesture towards the junction where the two roads met just beyond the village.
“So where do you think they went?”
“Either East to Skipton or North towards the Lakes.” I said with a sigh.
“Aren’t we going north?”
“Yes I intend to meet a friend in the Lake District, so let’s hope they haven’t gone that way.”
I led the way through the village and past the burnt out houses. Someone had definitely made a stand in this village and I guessed the burnt houses to be someone’s attempt at slowing down the creatures. Judging by the amount of blood staining the roads it hadn’t worked.
At the opposite end of the village the main road kept on going towards Skipton and a second road branched off to the north.
“Damn” I said to myself. Barricades of cars had blocked both of the roads but the one leading east had been broken through. Some of the cars had been pushed to the side and I couldn’t tell if it was by the undead or by survivors fleeing.
Either way I was glad that Lily had decided not to head through Skipton to the Yorkshire dales as I had suggested, else she would have potentially a great many zombies headed her way.
“What about there?” Julie asked and pointed to a church yard.
“You really want to spend the night in a graveyard during a zombie apocalypse?” I asked with a laugh.
“Not really but it has a wall around it and the church looks like its secure at least.”
“Ok” I said with a shrug, “It’s as good a place as any.”
It wasn’t a bad idea. I closed the metal gate behind us and let the latch fall, locking it in place. It wouldn’t keep out a horde of undead but it would deter a lone zombie.
The church itself was a rectangular building made of stone. The windows were small and contained stained glass panels. None of which were large enough for anyone to get through. Solid wooden doors that were closed but not locked at the moment.
I pulled open the door and gestured for Julie to wait as I went inside. It took only a few moments to check the entryway and the main hall. It was empty of life and I called Julie and Emma in, closing the door behind them. I had no key for the door but a display case beside the door provided an effective barrier to entry when I moved it and wedged it in place.
Julie and Emma had nestled themselves into one corner of the building and I joined them, sitting gratefully on the floor and leaning back.
“So what’s the plan for tomorrow?” Julie asked as she pulled a tub of cold rice from her pack and pass
ed it to Emma with a fork.
“Tomorrow we can either travel north along the road or cross the Forest of Bowland. You tell me which the best option is. This is your neck of the woods.”
“Where in the Lake District is your friend?”
“Windermere”
“Can you narrow it down a bit more? That’s a large lake.”
“That’s all I can remember, I wasn’t really listening when she was telling me about it.” I said with a shrug.
“Well that will make it harder but if we can find a car, we can at least travel along the roads which will be quicker.”
“Sounds like a plan. I shall have a look in the morning. For now I suggest we get some rest.” I said and settled back against the wall. It didn’t take long for us all to fall asleep.
Chapter 12
I left Julie and Emma safe and secure in the church while I went in search of a car. It had been an unpleasant night in the freezing cold church and I was happy to be moving around.
The little village would undoubtedly have been a picturesque place without the barricades, corpses and odour of death. I walked the length of the village and found no zombies wandering around. I could only assume that they had all headed off along the road.
No matter how you looked at it, roving bands of undead would be a serious problem when the most likely weapon we had available would be a club of some sort. For the first time I wondered how some of the other countries had fared, most notably the ones with much more relaxed gun laws.
It would be interesting to see what the world looked like when the zombies were finally all gone. Of course I would need to survive till then, which I wouldn’t do if I kept getting lost in thought instead of paying attention.
With a less than gentle reminder to myself to keep to the task at hand I tugged on the door of yet another car that was parked besides a building. The door didn’t open and I resisted the urge to smash the window, it would be pointless without the keys. I wandered around the back of the house to see if I could find a way inside, in the hope that the keys would be sat on the counter.
I couldn’t see any keys as I looked through the glass panes of the back door but I did see something of interest. A few minutes work with the crowbar and the door swung open. Nothing moved in the house and I could hear no sounds of movement.
Even so, I went through the rooms of the house systematically checking each room to be sure. When I was sure the house was clear I went back downstairs and into the kitchen.
Sat atop the kitchen table were a cycle helmet and a pump. I picked up the pump and left the helmet, before heading out of the house. At the end of the garden was a shed and I hoped that the bike that went with the helmet and pump would be secured in there.
A heavy padlock hung from the door but with a sharp crack the crowbar pulled the locking mechanism away from the wooden door. Inside the shed were a man and a woman’s mountain bike. The colours were a little off putting, being a deep red but I could live with that.
I was more concerned with the state of the tyres and the chains. After a quick inspection I decided that the tyres could use a little more air but the chains were fine. I rooted around the shed and found a puncture repair kit on a shelf along with some spanners that would be of use.
With as many items as possible in my pockets I still had the crowbar and pump to carry as the bikes seemed to lack anything to attach the pump to. I realised I would have to leave one thing or another and decided to bring the girls to the bikes rather than the other way around.
The bikes were left in the shed with the door closed, not that I imagined anyone else would be along to steal them. Fifteen minutes later I was back with the girls in tow and proudly opened the door to show them what I had found.
“There’s only two though.” Julie said.
“True, but I was thinking that we put everything we can into one rucksack and I will carry that, while you and Emma share the other bike. It won’t be the most comfortable bike ride ever but it will do until we can find another.”
“I suppose that could work” Julie agreed thoughtfully. “We will have to leave some of the spare clothes.”
“We can always find more clothes. This will be so much faster than walking and won’t make the same noise as a car.” I said.
“It will make things easier anyway. My feet hurt from all the walking yesterday.” Julie said with a smile.
“What about you Emma? You ok with it?” I asked and she nodded happily.
“Ok then. Let’s get the packs sorted and then you can lead the way.” I suggested and we spent the next few minutes trying to decide what we needed to take. The majority of the spare clothing was abandoned, though the clothes we were wearing were warm and durable so I was hopeful that they would last.
When I picked up the rucksack and slung it over my shoulders I grunted at the weight. Julie grinned and climbed onto her bike, sitting far enough back that Emma could perch in front of her with her feet dangling down.
I watched them as they set off along the road until I was satisfied that they were able to manoeuvre securely before climbing onto my own bike and following.
The roads were clear of cars and travelling hordes of the ravenous undead, so the day passed fairly quickly. We were soon passing through the Forest of Bowland and as promised it was not in any way an actual forest.
Peat moorland and rocky outcrops along with heather and moss made up the terrain and steep hills and deep valleys made the going tougher than I would have liked. I spent the day sweating beneath my thick ski jacket and rucksack full of food.
We avoided all buildings and tried to stay off the roads and on the walking trails as much as possible. We stopped for lunch besides a swift running stream and Emma happily sat and tossed small pebbles into the river as Julie and I rested.
It was clear that we wouldn’t be through the area by the time it became too dark to travel so we discussed the options while Emma played. I was very much aware of how little I knew about the area so deferred to her.
When she suggested we stop by a farmhouse later in the afternoon I pulled up alongside her and looked at where she was pointing. A pretty standard farmhouse, two storeys tall with a barn of some kind attached. A couple of cars were parked in the yard and several dogs were running around in a fenced area.
With little to choose from it was the better than sleeping out in the open so I cycled ahead to make sure it was safe.
As I approached the house the dogs started barking and I was surprised to see a woman step out of the door. Dark hair turning gray that hung around her face, she was dressed for warmth in Jeans and oversized jacket. With a wary eye for danger I approached and gave her a wave.
“What do you want?” the woman asked.
“We were just looking for someplace dry and safe to spend the night” I told her with a wave at Julie and Emma as they cycled up.
“We didn’t think anyone would be here” Julie said. “It’s a lot to ask but it will be dark soon and we really do need somewhere to stay.”
The woman gave us a hard stare, though her eyes softened at the sight of Emma. “Come in” she said with a grunt before turning to head into the house.
It was perhaps a better reception than I would have had if I had been on my own and I was starting to see the benefits of having a child around. Some people were more than willing to trust when you had a child with you as though the kid magically made you a better person.
I filed the information away for later and followed the others into the house. I hadn’t lowered my guard entirely and so wasn’t surprised when I saw the teenager with the shotgun held in front of him.
“This is my son, Derrick” the woman said and gave a curt gesture to the dark haired youth. He lowered the gun reluctantly and stood beside a door that led out of the kitchen staring suspiciously at us.
“I’m Julie, this is Emma and the sour looking guy is Ryan” Julie said and I glared at the back of her head.
“Brenda.” She said, “Sit yourselves down, you look hungry.”
“Is it just the two of you?” I asked as we found places around a rectangular table made of what looked like beech wood that sat in the centre of the kitchen.
“Why’re you asking?” Derrick snapped suspiciously.
“Just curious” I replied with a shrug.
“Dad’s out but he’ll be back soon.”
“Yes dear he will. Now why don’t you take Emma and go and wash up for dinner.” Brenda said with a sad smile.
With a nod to Emma to go along, Derrick disappeared further into the house.
“How long has he been gone?” Julie asked quietly.
“Two days. He went to town to find out what was going on and hasn’t come back yet.”
“I’m sorry”
“Thank you.” Brenda said and turned back to the oven and her cooking as Derrick and Emma returned.
Julie chattered with the others and seemed quite adept at pulling conversation even from the surly teen. I sat back and watched as was customary for me. Brenda took a moment away from her cooking to light candles and place them around the room.
Brenda soon dished out a simple yet hearty meal of roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and sweet corn. It was no doubt a benefit of having your own little farm. I happily devoured the meal as we all ate in silence.
“That was great, thank you.” Julie said as she helped Brenda clear away the plates.
“You’re welcome.” Brenda replied with a smile.
“I know it’s an imposition but could we ask to stay the night?” I asked.
“You can stay in the spare room, but you will understand that we will be locking the door” Brenda said with a smile.
“Of course” I replied with a smile of my own. I would still be blocking the door from our side of the room.
“So have you heard anything about what’s going on recently?” Julie asked Brenda.
“We have seen a few people go past and some of those... things, but other than that it has been quiet.”
Safety Lost (Killing the Dead Book 3) Page 7
