“No planes” Derrick added.
“That’s right, no planes and few cars or trucks” Brenda said nodding along. “How about you?”
“I was holed up in a big outlet store for a long time” Julie said, “All I saw were the same walls each day.”
“What about you?” Derrick asked me with a frown.
“I have been a few places and I can confirm that most towns and cities are likely to be populated by more of the dead than the living” I said with a grin.
“That isn’t anything to smile about” Brenda admonished sternly.
“Oh I don’t know, sometimes that is all you can do.” I replied.
“I wish we had power and could get the news on TV or the radio” Julie said with a sigh, “I hate not knowing what is going on in the world. They could have found a cure by now.”
“I am not certain enough people will be left to find a cure, let alone make and distribute one.” I said and silence fell around the table once more.
“Perhaps it’s time to get some sleep. We’ll be up early tomorrow.” Julie said as Emma yawned.
“Of course dear, Derrick will show you the way.”
Julie said goodnight and I followed along behind to the room we had been graciously given for the night. It was on the second floor and at the back of the house, away from the road and large enough for a double bed.
With just one flickering candle held by Derrick it was hard to see much and I was wary, my overly suspicious nature on alert for attack as we entered the room.
“You can keep the candle” Derrick said as he placed it down on the chest of drawers that stood beside the door. Julie had barely thanked him before he pulled the door shut and we heard the click of a lock.
I picked up the candle and handed it to Julie before moving the chest of drawers across the door.
“Is that really necessary?” Julie asked.
“Better to do it when it’s not necessary than to not do it when it is.” I said.
“Ok then” she said doubtfully before getting Emma tucked into the bed. As the girls were getting themselves organised I pulled off my jacket and rolled it into a ball before placing it onto the floor.
“What are you doing?” Julie asked.
“Preparing a place to sleep” I replied as I lay down and rested my head on the improvised pillow.
“There’s plenty of room in the bed, you will be freezing down there.”
“I am sure I will be fine. I like my space.”
“Sleep well then” she said with a smile that I sensed more than saw before she blew out the candle.
Chapter 13
I awoke stiff and cold well before dawn and tossed and turned for an hour before finally giving up on the idea of sleep.
“Sleep well?” Julie asked with amusement as I sat up.
“As well as could be expected I suppose.” I said testily. “What are you doing awake?”
“I’m used to not sleeping much. I don’t think I have had a full night since this all began.”
“Fair enough. We may as well get ourselves ready. We will need to leave as soon as it gets light.”
As she went about the task of waking Emma, I ran through a few stretches to try and ease the steady ache in my muscles. I had been abused quite a bit in the past few weeks. The lump on the side of my head had faded and my ankle only ever gave the occasional twinge but I would still need some real downtime in comfort soon enough.
I pulled on my jacket and pushed the dresser back into its place just as Emma and Julie were pulling their own jackets on.
The door lock clicked before someone knocked. I pulled open the door cautiously and met the gaze of a frowning Derrick.
“Mum’s getting breakfast ready if you want to eat.” He said before heading down the stairs.
We trooped into the kitchen and were met with a plate of scrambled eggs and a slice of toast each.
“Oh my god, I have not had toast for weeks” Julie said as she happily sat and chewed.
“Mum makes her own bread.” Derrick said with a glance towards me.
“It is very good.” I agreed, assuming that some sort of reply was warranted.
The breakfast table chatter was about small things, nothing of import and as the darkness beyond the house receded, Brenda reminded her son he had chores to do. With just minimal grumbling he pulled on boots and a thick coat before heading outside.
“So what’s your plan?” Brenda asked.
“Heading to the Lakes” Julie said around a mouthful of egg and I paused long enough to glare at her.
“It’s ok, I didn’t mean to pry” Brenda said noticing my glare.
“I have found it is best not to advertise your destination.” I said by way of explanation and excused myself from the table. I told them that I wanted to check the bikes but in reality I wanted to ensure that we would have no surprises waiting for us outside.
Frost covered the ground and my breath misted before me as I made a show of checking the bikes. I could hear some noise coming from the attached barn as Derrick went about his chores.
I was standing beside the bikes waiting for Julie and Emma when Derrick came over to me. I glanced at him and his ever present frown before turning back to watching the road. If he wanted something he could speak first.
“My dad has been gone too long.” He said.
“So I gather.”
“I want you to help me find him.”
“What?” I said with and didn’t even try to stop the smirk forming. “Why would I help you find him?”
“Because he’s missing.” Derrick said as a blush rose across his cheeks.
“I really don’t care that he is missing though.” I pointed out.
“We gave you somewhere to stay and some food” he said.
“I don’t recall anyone suggesting that we would need to offer something in return for those though.”
“You have to help me. I can’t do it alone.”
“Then you won’t do it will you” I said.
“Please. I need help.” Derrick said as he grabbed a hold of my arm, his voice pleading.
“Remove your hand before I break it” I said coldly and he snatched his hand back. “Your dad is dead and likely has been for days. Forget about him and move on.”
“No he isn’t” Derrick said petulantly as tears filled his eyes.
“Yes he is or he would be here. Now go away and leave me be” I said and heard the door open behind me before he could say anything that would really annoy me. With one last pleading look he turned and stormed back into the barn.
“What was that about?” Julie asked as she crossed to me.
“Nothing to worry about. Let’s go.” I said.
In a few minutes we were back on the bikes and cycling up the road. Julie looked back over her shoulder and waved as I concentrated on the road ahead.
The journey through the Forest of Bowland took several hours and we had no serious issues along the way. A bad patch of ice was our biggest worry and since we made an effort to stay on the back roads we didn’t meet a single person living or undead.
By noon we were on the outskirts of Bowland and were overlooking a road that stretched off to the west.
“We have a choice” Julie said.
“What choice?”
“If we go west, we will have to cross the M6 motorway but can reach the coast without any major population centres.”
“What if we go north?” I asked with memories of my last attempt at crossing a motorway still fairly fresh.
“If we go north or northwest then we will still have to cross the motorway at some point but we will also have a number of other main roads and small towns and villages to pass.”
“Well you make that sound really appealing. What benefits will the coast give us?”
“If we reach the coast, we can maybe find a boat and cross Morecambe Bay to the River Leven which we can follow to L
ake Windermere.” Julie said.
“Well that certainly sounds a great deal better than having to possibly fight our way north. Why do I feel that you are leaving something out though?”
“Aside from the fact that Morecambe Bay is one of the largest mudflats around and notorious for its quicksand and fast moving tides... the town of Morecambe is close and has maybe fifty thousand people.” Julie said with a sigh. “I really can’t say which will be more dangerous for us.”
“How far is it to the coast?”
“A rough guess... about five miles.”
“Let’s head to the coast then and see what the situation is. We can always turn north.” I said and she nodded, seemingly happy to have the decision made.
We travelled at a brisk pace, once again keeping to the back roads which of course made the journey longer but a great deal less risky. We approached the motorway just as a freezing rain began to fall.
Julie and Emma stayed back with the bikes as I approached the motorway through the sparse trees that lined the roadside. I crouched beneath the barren branches of a particularly tall tree and surveyed the motorway.
Further to the south I could just make out the shape on an overturned truck. It was large enough to cover three lanes and block any more cars passing. The opposite side of the motorway was empty. A steel barrier in the centre of the motorway would have prevented the cars travelling on the wrong side, so the people must have abandoned their vehicles and walked.
The evidence of the exodus lay all around in the form of the abandoned possessions. Those things that had meant enough to be brought along as the people fled, but were soon too burdensome and quickly abandoned.
I called gently to Julie to come forward and she eased her way through the trees and underbrush with the bikes and Emma.
“Is it clear?” She asked as she came close.
“It certainly looks that way. A few fields to go and we will be facing the sea” I said. I could smell the salt tang in the air and it was becoming stronger the closer we got to the sea.
“I hope we can find a boat. Another day or so and you could be back with your friend” Julie said with a smile that seemed a little strained.
“We will need to be on the lookout for somewhere to spend the night soon” I said. “We have been wasting far too much time trying to avoid populated areas.”
“If we can make it to the actual coast we will have caravan parks all over this area. I am sure we can find somewhere to stay.” Julie said confidently.
With one final check to make sure we could cross safely I led the way across the three lanes of asphalt. We paused at the barrier in the centre as I lifted the bikes over the waist high barrier.
“Look” Emma said as I passed the second bike to Julie.
“What is it?” I asked as I wiped more of the freezing rain off of my face and looked to the south where Emma pointed.
“Lots of people.” She said.
“Oh god.” Julie moaned.
I was not generally one to call on the aid of any deity but this situation did seem to warrant it. From our place beside the barrier we could see beyond the overturned truck. The three lanes were filled with vehicles of all colours and description and in and around those vehicles were thousands of undead.
“What are they doing?” I asked no one in particular as I tried to see through the stinging rain.
“They’re just standing there, staring at the overturned truck”
“It’s the rain.” I said as comprehension came. “We are too far away for them to see and they can’t hear us over the rain. They are standing around waiting for something to cross their path. They don’t have the sense to walk around the truck”
“Let’s go then” Julie said as she climbed onto her bike and helped Emma into her position.
I climbed onto my own bike and we set off through the trees and into the fields beyond.
Chapter 14
I stood on the edge of the field and looked down on the sand and mud the stretched before me. A variety of birds picked their way over the sand searching for scraps of whatever food it was that they ate. The sounds of the waves were getting louder as the tide came in.
“Is it even safe to cross that?” I asked.
“If we go when the tide is out and stay along the edge we should be ok” Julie said.
“It looks like it will be unpleasant” I said with a grunt. I looked to the south and could just make out the town of Morecombe. A fire was raging somewhere in the town judging by the plume of dark smoke that was rising towards the gray sky.
“We can travel around the edge. It will take a little longer but by this time tomorrow we will be at Lake Windermere” Julie said as she climbed off of the bike.
“What are you doing?”
“The bike won’t be much use for a bit. We will have to walk till we can find somewhere to spend the night.”
“Great.” I said with more enthusiasm than I felt and dismounted my bike. We were close to where I was supposed to find Lily and I really didn’t want to stop moving.
Julie led the way north along the weed choked footpath pushing her bike. Emma followed next and I kept up the rear. The backpack was digging into my shoulders and the added weight of the crowbar was a burden I could do without. I missed my hatchet and had a faint hope that I would be able to find a more suitable weapon soon.
We were close enough to several villages that we trudged along quietly, without trying to make conversation which suited me just fine. The land rose and fell beneath us. At times we would be walking along the top of a ten foot cliff of crumbling stone and then before we knew it, we would be once more walking almost at sea level.
The wind had picked up and was becoming stronger as the day wore on. The light rain had become a freezing torrent and we were miserable and cold when Julie came to a halt and crouched down.
“What is it?” I asked as I let my bike fall into the brush and crept forward.
“Looks like a caravan park. A small one admittedly but I can see movement.”
“People or zombies?”
“I’m not sure” she said. She was chewing her lip as she stared ahead, trying to see into the caravan park.
“If they are out in this weather, then I would doubt they were living” I pointed out and she nodded thoughtfully.
“We can go around, I think.” She said.
“No. Watch Emma and the pack. The caravan park looks fairly small so I shall see if I can clear them out.” I told her as I pulled my arms through the straps of the pack and let it fall to the ground.
It was a tiny camp ground, perhaps forty caravans in total with a great deal of open ground for tents and non-static caravans to set up during the summer months. At this time of year I didn’t expect to find many people still living in the caravans.
I readied the crowbar and stalked forward along the sodden path, towards the outer edge of the park. The heavy rain would with any luck prevent the zombies noticing me. I moved past the first static caravan, the curtains were closed but the door was open wide. A long trail of blood led across the wooden decking and down the steps to the path that wound through the camp.
A zombie stood on the path staring up at the rain, long hair hanging in a tangled sodden mess down its back. Shredded remnants of a jacket hung on its thin frame. I paused long enough to ensure that I would not be noticed before stepping forward and swinging the crowbar down against its head.
The cracking of the skull was audible even over the patter of the rain as it bounced off of the paving slabs and the zombie collapsed without a sound. The rainwater turning a dark crimson around the corpse, I felt the joy rising and held onto that feeling.
I followed the path through the camp, merrily killing any zombie that I found. They were few and spread unevenly through the camp, but one and all they fell without a sound and my glee grew.
With the grounds clear as far as I was able to tell, I started checking on the ca
ravans themselves. If the door was locked I would move on to the next and if the door was open, I would make a quick circuit of the caravan to ensure it was clear of any threats before moving on.
On the last row of caravans I pulled on a door handle and finding it locked, I turned to leave only to hear the click of the lock turning, audible even over the rain. I glanced back at the door with my crowbar raised and ready to strike. The door opened just enough for a frightened face to peer out.
“Oh thank goodness you’re alive” said the elderly woman.
I stared hard at the old lady for several moments as I tried to decide what to do. I could kill her easily with one swift blow, no one would know but I had made a promise. This person had made no threats, was no threat to me and was by Lily’s definition, innocent.
The old lady licked her lips nervously as she waited for me to respond. Her gray hair hung in loose curls around her face. She was wearing a dressing gown of all things and all I could think of was how much I wanted to strike.
“Is it safe nana?” a young voice called and my decision was made. I lowered the crowbar slowly and stepped back.
“I think so.” She called back over her shoulder before speaking once more to me. “Are you part of the rescue party?”
“Rescue party?”
“You aren’t here to rescue us?” she asked with a wavering voice.
“No. Just looking for a place to spend the night.”
“We have no room here but some of the other caravans will be empty” she said anxiously as she eyed the gore covered crowbar in my grip.
“Don’t worry, I have no intention of forcing my way into your home” I said with a wide grin at her fear. I was still on a high from the slaughter and I knew myself well enough to recognise how much I wanted to keep killing.
With a final nod at the woman I continued checking the caravans and once I was sure that the danger was passed I stood quietly in the rain and enjoyed the solitude as I went over each fresh kill in my mind.
Eventually the sting of the rain as it hit my face and the sound as it bounced off of the roof of the nearby caravan intruded and I heaved a sigh before heading to the edge of the park to wave Julie and Emma forward.
Safety Lost (Killing the Dead Book 3) Page 8
