When I arrived back at the cottage it was in darkness. Lily would likely be away for a while on her scavenging trip and Cass and Gregg would be out till late doing their own tasks. Julie brought some food and attempted to make small talk as I ate.
I let her know that I needed an early night and she left me alone. I lay on the couch, determined to get a full night’s sleep but it was a long time coming.
The next three days passed much the same way. Eric would turn up well before dawn and wake me by banging on the door, before taking me for some dull task. I would spend the day working at the task and return back to the cottage to find Julie waiting with some food.
Lily was away for two days and on her return spent most of the evenings in her room. Cass would stay in there with her and talk about... whatever they talked about, while Gregg would laugh and thankfully leave me in peace.
On the fourth day I was awoken by Eric and was once more following him through the camp.
“So what is my job today?” I asked, “Laundry, Inventory or more cleaning of the cottages?”
“Something special for you today.” He grunted as he led me past the last cottage.
We reached the edge of the tree line and he picked up a shovel from where it lay in the frost covered grass and handed it to me before moving into the woods.
I followed along for ten minutes, stumbling in the darkness beneath the bare branches of the trees. A light was shining up ahead and my curiosity was beginning to get the best of me.
We stepped into a small clearing and I saw one of the men I hadn’t yet met holding a club in one hand and a torch in the other, standing over the now decomposing remains of three zombies.
“What happened here?” I asked curiously.
“These were found wandering through the woods yesterday and put down.” The club wielder said in a firm voice.
“It happens from time to time.” Eric added, “Any that are found are led here and killed then someone like you will come along and clear them away.”
“And exactly how am I to do that?”
“You have a shovel. You will find somewhere out of the way, dig a big hole and then dump them in.” Eric said with a smug smile.
“It’s winter” I said. “The ground is frozen solid.”
“It may take you a while but you had better dig a big hole, you will likely have more of these to bury by the end of the day.”
“Why don’t you just burn them?”
“We have no idea what burning them will release into the air around here. It’s better to bury them for now.” Eric said and left me alone with the club wielder.
“Sorry pal, it’s mainly busywork to keep you lot occupied.” Club wielder said and I grunted at him.
I walked off into the dark woods in search of somewhere to bury the bodies. A shallow grave would have to do as I had no intention of digging deeply. I found a suitable place spaced far enough away from some trees to be hopefully free of roots and began digging.
My shovel bit into the hard ground and it took me almost the entire day to dig just a shallow trench to drop the bodies into. I was exhausted and my muscles were sore from the effort. I was becoming increasingly tired of Eric and his tasks.
When I returned to the clearing it was empty but for the bodies which now numbered five. Their skulls were cracked and brain matter was leaking from more than one. The bodies were all wearing torn and dirty remnants of the clothes they wore in life. Dark stains covered the skin and the clothes and I was glad for choosing to wear gloves when I left the cottage.
I dragged the bodies through the woods one by one and dumped them into the shallow trench. When I had the last one in I paused and took a moment to make sure I was unobserved before reaching into my pocket and pulling out the syringe I had stolen a few days ago.
With a final check to make sure I was not being watched, I stuck the needle into the freshest looking corpse and pulled back on the plunger. Dark crimson fluid sluggishly filled the syringe and I withdrew the needle and placed the plastic cap back over it before placing the syringe back into my pocket.
It was another hour before I had the bodies covered and I slowly trudged back to camp. I dropped the shovel beside the final tree and headed back to the cottage. I was very aware of the syringe in my pocket and the consequences of pricking myself with the needle. So I moved with a little more caution that normal.
When I was in the cottage alone and away from prying eyes I hid the syringe on top of one of the kitchen cupboards before washing as best I could in the sink. When I was finished I sank gratefully onto the couch and lay my head back. I was asleep in minutes.
Chapter 20
I was surprised to wake the next morning with the sun streaming in through the windows. Gregg was sitting on the other couch, idly thumbing through a weeks old newspaper. He looked up and saw that I was awake.
“Hey mate. Some porridge on the table for you, though it’s probably getting cold now.” He said with a nod towards the table and the bowl that sat with steam rising from it.
“Thanks. Where are the others?”
“In Lily’s room where else.”
“I think she is still upset with me.” I said as I picked up the bowl and quickly swallowed a spoonful of the porridge.
“You think?” He said and laughed.
“Why haven’t I been woken at some ungodly hour and given a stupid chore?”
“Sunday mate. Day of rest today, only thing happening today is services from the religious folk.”
“Religious folk?”
“Yeah Jim, you remember him from the clubhouse? Well he has gathered a group around himself. A bunch of Christians, couple of Muslims and I think at least one Jew.”
“Sounds like a fun bunch.” I said in between spoonfuls of my breakfast.
“It’s not that bad actually. The apocalypse has brought them all together and they are getting on better than everyone else. Of course that is probably because all they seem to do is pray.” Gregg laughed again, he had a pleasant laugh. It seemed to encourage you to join in with him.
“So what do you do on your day off?” I asked as I scraped the last of the food out of the bowl.
“Rest and relax mate. Nothing much else to do, it isn’t like me and Cass are welcome to mingle with the others.”
“Fair enough, I think I will take a walk though. See you in a bit.” I said and watched as he nodded and turned back to his paper.
When I was sure he wasn’t watching I reached up and surreptitiously picked up the syringe from its hiding place. Then I pulled on my jacket and boots and headed outside.
I stood on the decking and leaned against the railing as I watched the people of the camp go about their business. Children were playing happily in the light drizzle that was falling while the adults gathered at the tables before the remains of the last night’s bonfire.
Emma ran past the cottage and waved as she chased after another small child. She was laughing and I could admit, privately, that it was nice to see her smile. I saw Eric leave his cottage, talking animatedly with Howard.
It seemed like a good time to have a look around since most of the people were gathering for whatever religious ceremony they needed. I left the decking and walked around the outside of the cottages.
In just a few minutes I was outside Eric’s residence and I leant against the wall as I tried to listen at the window. I knew Eric’s cottage had three single bedrooms and had been selected specifically to house the ‘council’ leaders of this little camp.
When I was sure that I could hear nothing moving within I pulled at the window in the hope it was open. It was firmly closed and I moved on to the next. The bathroom window was open slightly to air out the small room and with a little effort I was able to climb through it. I gagged at the smell and understood why the window had been left open.
Someone would have to point out how foolish it was to leave windows open considering the current state o
f the world. Ideally every residence should be treated as a fortress and fortified accordingly. Though considering how I was currently entering someone else’s residence through a window, I would keep that idea to myself.
I moved through the rooms and found nothing of note. Each of the bedrooms had a narrow built in wardrobe and a single bed. Despite the general lack of blankets and candles in the camp, each of the beds had several blankets and the cottage had enough candles to keep it brightly lit for a week.
After a check of each of the rooms I felt sure I knew which one Eric slept in. I sat on his bed and waited. I knew he wasn’t a religious man and from the days spent in the camp doing his pointless tasks for him, I had seen him return to his cottage several times during the day. I hoped that today would be the same.
The cottage door opened and I stood and approached the bedroom door. It was open just enough for me to see out and through the crack in the door I saw Eric as he walked into the living room. He placed his clipboard down on the kitchen table and reached into the cupboard to pull out a bottle of whiskey.
It seemed that Eric was a drinker and I silently wished for his current drink to be the best he had ever had because I intended for it to be his last. I watched as he poured a second drink and stood beside the table going over whatever he had written on his clipboard.
I waited until he was concentrating fully on his task before pulling open the door silently and slipping out. I crept up behind Eric and threw one arm around his throat. I pulled him backwards into his room as I pushed down on his carotid artery.
He struggled weakly in my grasp and tried to call out for help until I placed my other hand over his mouth. He bit down but didn’t break through the thick material of my gloves. I held him in the chokehold until he passed out and then let him fall to his bed.
I had no real idea how long he would be unconscious but I hoped it would be long enough. I pulled the syringe from my pocket and carefully removed the plastic cap from the needle. I had no intention of accidently sticking myself with it by being careless.
The needle slipped into his vein easily and I pressed down on the plunger, letting the dark fluid it contained enter his bloodstream. I replaced the cap on the needle and slipped it back into my pocket. I ensured that no sign of my presence or a struggle could be found in the room before quietly slipping out through the bathroom window.
A short walk into the woods to make sure I was not seen around his cottage and I made my way through the woods around to the lakeside. I dropped the now empty syringe into some thick undergrowth since I had no way of digging a hole in the frozen ground to bury it. Hardly ideal but it was unlikely anyone would stumble over it or think it was anything other than a junkies leavings.
I sat on a bench beside the lake and watched the occasional bird wheel above the slowly moving waters. I remained there for several hours before returning slowly to the camp. I cautiously approached the first cottage and when no one seemed to be calling an alarm at my presence I reasoned that the infection had taken hold before Eric awoke.
A dozen people were gathered in a cluster around Howard beside the tables around the bonfire. I saw Pat standing with Rachel at the edge of the group and approached.
“What’s going on?” I asked Pat.
“Looks like Eric is ill.” He replied after a quick nod of greeting.
“Ill?”
“Yeah, he’s unconscious at the moment but he has a fever and we think it might be the infection.”
“How is that possible?” I asked as innocently as I could.
“No idea. He does wander around the outskirts of the camp and could have picked it up anywhere.” Pat said.
“You know where he got it from.” Rachel said viciously.
“It isn’t her and you know it.” Pat snapped with an apologetic look to me.
“Her who?” I asked.
“That black bitch that got bitten and didn’t turn. She is the only one around here who we know has the infection.” She spat.
It hadn’t occurred to me that people may suspect Cass and I wondered if I should feel a bit guilty since the people standing around us were listening to Rachel and nodding along. I shrugged mentally. I would deal with that problem when I needed to.
I spoke for a few more minutes with Pat and pointedly ignored Rachel before heading back to the cottage. It would probably be a good idea to mention a few things to my cottage-mates before the angry mob came knocking.
When I reached the cottage I paused at the door, suddenly aware that I had been humming. A habit that I would need to lose if I wanted to avoid arousing suspicion since Lily at least knew why I hummed.
Chapter 21
Gregg was playing solitaire at the kitchen table with a ratty looking deck of cards when I entered the cottage. I gave him a brief explanation of what was going on and after a moment’s hesitation he crossed to Lily’s room and knocked on the door before poking his head inside and speaking to the others.
Much to my surprise Lily and Cass came out and I was required to explain in greater detail what was happening and who was blaming the sickness on Cass. I gave as much detail as I could about Eric being ill and the general sentiment of some of the crowd.
Lily listened with growing concern. She had dark rings beneath her eyes and looked pale and increasingly annoyed as I spoke about Rachel’s comments. Cass looked concerned.
“I’m going out to speak to them” Lily said.
“Should we come?” Gregg asked.
“No. It’s probably best for you to stay in here for the time being.” She said with the briefest look towards Cass.
“What if it is me?” Cass said plaintively.
“Then we would all have caught it by now.” Lily said firmly. “Eric could have picked it up anywhere.”
“He had me bury a bunch of dead zombies just yesterday and could easily have picked up something there.” I pointed out.
“Exactly. You guys wait in here and I will find out what’s going on.” Lily said as she pulled her jacket and boots on.
“You want some company?” I asked and ignored the look that passed between Cass and Lily. It was harder to miss Greggs grin.
“No. I won’t be long, look after them.” She said with a glance to Cass and I nodded.
Lily disappeared outside and the door shut with a thump. Cass looked upset and Gregg put his arm around her.
“Come on. Let’s play some cards while we wait” He said.
“You two go ahead.” I said with a smile as I crossed to the kitchen and began rooting through the cupboards and drawers. The cutlery drawer held a few knives that would be useful for eating a meal, but nothing I could really use as a weapon.
With a sigh I glanced out the main window and saw Lily standing beside the bonfire as she spoke to Pat and gestured angrily at Rachel. I couldn’t help but grin as I saw how she was so defensive of her friends. It was just another thing to admire about her.
I watched her move through the crowd for nearly an hour speaking to one person after another, a careful touch on the arm as she reassured one balding older man, a frown and a scowl as she spoke quietly to a frumpy red faced woman.
She worked her way through the crowd and her words seemed to be having an impact. The crowd was visibly calming and I admit to feeling a little in awe at how well she could take charge in these situations. My first recourse would be to use a weapon, hers was to reassure and persuade others.
The day was wearing on and at some point I was hoping that Eric would turn. I wondered idly if anyone had bothered to put a guard on him for just that eventuality. A blood curdling scream that sounded from his cottage suggested that they hadn’t.
Cass and Gregg were at my side in a moment as they watched through the window as the scene unfolded. An agile and fully undead Eric ran out of his cottage. His clothes were dishevelled and the large crimson stain that ran from his chin and down his chest indicated he had just bitten someone.
&
nbsp; Cries of dismay rose from the crowd at his appearance, followed rapidly by screams of terror as he leapt from the decking and bit down hard on the cheek of a woman who had been standing close by.
I had a moment to notice that he was behaving more like the zombie from the service station all those weeks ago, rather than the slow shambling creatures we had become used to, before I saw that Lily had pulled a burning limb from the bonfire and was headed towards Eric.
With a curse I ran for the door. I had no weapon to hand and as I emerged from the cottage the crowd were streaming away from the bonfire in all directions except towards Eric as he bit deeply into the leg of a screaming man.
Lily swung the still burning branch at him as I pushed my way through the crowd and I saw several faces I recognised as well as some I didn’t, as they joined her with an assortment of hastily gathered weapons.
Pat and John each with an improvised club were trying to hit the fast moving Eric who seemed agile enough to dodge or block most of their blows. It was definitely uncharacteristic of the undead I had seen before and I wondered if it was something to do with how I had infected him.
A gun fired and Eric jerked as a plume of crimson burst from his chest and I looked around to see Rachel standing beside the door to her cottage with a rifle to her shoulder. She fired again and caught him this time in the neck, the bullet passed straight through and grazed Johns cheek as he raised his club to strike down at Eric’s head.
One of the unknown men managed to hit the zombie’s leg and Eric collapsed to his knees. Lily and Pat each managed to land blows on his skull. The next strike by John cracked his skull and Eric was dead before I had even had the chance to join the fight.
“You ok?” I asked Lily as I finally managed to reach her. She glanced once at me and nodded before looking across at John.
“Oh no.” she said.
“What?”
“John. The bullet that grazed him passed through Eric, he could be infected.” She said sadly.
“How many times does she have to be warned about guns?” I muttered as Pat looked first at John and then across to Rachel. I could see the anguish as he realised what may have happened.
Safety Lost (Killing the Dead Book 3) Page 12
