“Oh hell!” exclaimed Gregg as he joined me at the door.
“Ok, let’s go through to the bar, we need to speak to everyone and we need to decide what we are doing if we want to survive this.” I said and wasted no time by leading the way through to the bar myself.
The two groups of people were all huddled together before the fire talking quietly as Louise saw to Eric’s injury that was apparently minor, just messy. I called for attention and when all eyes were turned to me, I explained what was coming our way.
“What are we going to do?” Claire asked with a worried look across at the sleeping form of Maggie who was curled up on some coats by the fire.
“We are going to have to fight them.” I said.
“Why can’t we just barricade the door and wait for them to leave?” Jim asked.
“Because they won’t leave if they know we are in here and more importantly Lily and John are still out there and we can’t go and find them if we are trapped in here.” I told him and let a touch of anger enter my voice.
“So how do we fight them?” Cass asked.
“Rachel and Pat will head to the roof and shoot at them.” I said with a glance at them, “When the undead are all focused on them, the rest of us can go out and hit them from behind with whatever weapons we have.”
“What weapons do we have? A couple of hand axes and hammers?” Robert asked in his apparently usual arrogant manner. “We aren’t all going to be able to fight them with knives you know.”
“Anyone who doesn’t want to fight can stay in here.” I said
“That still leaves us lacking weapons” Cass said quietly.
“There’s some golf clubs in the staff room” Louise said as she came to join us with Eric in tow.
“They will work“ I said thoughtfully, “Long enough to allow you to strike from a distance and sturdy enough that they will do some damage.”
“So who is going to go out and fight?” Gregg asked.
“Pat and Rachel you two better go now and get set up. Try and draw them all to you.” I said. “As for the rest of you, it’s up to you if you are willing to fight to stay alive or not.”
“I’ll be with you” Gregg said and Cass quickly echoed her agreement.
“I can swing a golf club as well as anyone so you can count me in” Eric offered.
“Me too” Claire said quietly.
“Are you sure?” I asked her with a glance towards Maggie’s sleeping form. “No one will think less of you if you stay here with her.”
Several of the group added their assurance as well. “No, I need to help protect her and my friend is missing out there.” Claire said.
“Ok. What about the rest of you?” I asked as I looked at the others in turn.
“Count me in,” said Louise “Someone needs to stay in and look after the kids though and I think that should be Debbie.”
“I can’t go out” Liz said in her quiet voice. She was so quiet I had forgotten she was even here.
“Fine by me” I told her. “What about you two?” I said with a look towards Robert and Jim.
“I won’t fight those foul creatures. I will put my faith in God and he will see us through” said Jim.
“My son is out there. I suppose I will fight.” Robert said.
“Right then, let’s get those golf clubs” I said and Gregg offered to collect them.
I collected a knife from the kitchen and then picked up my hatchet from where I had left it beside the door and made a few practice swings as I tested the pain from my ankle. I decided that I would be able to manage and waited patiently by the front door. It wasn’t long before the first shot was fired from the roof above us.
“Will we be better going out the back door?” Cass asked.
“Perhaps, if Pat and Rachel do it right though they will draw the zombies over to the far end of the building and away from this door.”
We waited impatiently as the minutes slowly moved on. Each of the members of the group had a golf club clutched in their hands. The gun shots from the roof were coming more often as the undead crept closer and presented better targets.
The dreadful wail of the undead became overwhelming as they reached the club house. The stench that saturated the air around them almost overcame my senses. I could taste the foulness on the air and I had to fight the urge to gag.
I pulled open the door a fraction and peered out. The zombies were gathered at the far end of the building and had formed a heaving mound of writhing bodies, arms upraised as they tried to reach Pat and Rachel who stood on the roof above them, firing down.
With a final glance at the people gathered behind me I pulled open the door and stepped out into the night. I moved swiftly across the tarmac towards the massed undead and raised my hatchet.
The first zombie fell to a blow to the back of the skull and I felt a true joy as I watched it fall. I struck at the next and then the one beyond that. My arm rose and fell mechanically as I killed again and again. I knew that I was grinning widely but in this moment I couldn’t care about who could see my pleasure.
I was distantly aware of the others joining the slaughter, for it could not be called a fight. The zombies started to become aware of us and reached out with their damaged limbs, fingers twitching as they tried to grasp us and pull us closer. They continued to fall to our blows.
A scream from my left drew my attention in time to see Robert fall beneath two zombies, their teeth sinking deep into the flesh of his arm and shoulder. I laughed with delight and crushed the skull of the zombie before me.
Yelling came from above and I glanced up to see Pat pointing behind us. I pulled my hatchet from the neck of the zombie before me and stepped back out of reach of any others before risking turning and looking behind.
Another large group of undead was making its way across the well kept greenway and moving towards us. I swore and swung my hatchet once more at the zombies before me, hacking and chopping frenziedly as I tried to kill as many as possible before the new enemy arrived.
Pat and Rachel were concentrating their fire on the new group as the rest of us cleared away the few remaining zombies at the club house. The floor was covered with the dead as they leaked blood and brain matter from their crushed skulls.
I glanced around to make sure that the others were aware of the new threat and found them all, with the exception of the dying Robert, to be standing with their gore covered weapons raised and ready.
Silence fell from above as Pat and Rachel used the last of their bullets. I stalked forward across the tarmac away from the uneven footing provided by the blood and corpse covered ground at the base of the building and headed towards the approaching undead.
These approaching zombies looked to be fairly fresh. They moved with some speed and fluidity, they had more control of their limbs and their wounds were fairly minor. They were dressed in a variety of outfits from jeans and t-shirts to business suits, with the occasionally police uniform thrown in. Several small forms of children were visible.
My elation was fading at the sight of the children, I could take no real pleasure from destroying their reanimated bodies but I had little choice other than to do so.
“Split up and try and draw some away, hit them and keep moving” I called to the others and was gratified to see them obey.
The pain from my ankle was still bearable though I would no doubt feel it in the morning. I followed Cass and Gregg to the left as the others went right and the zombies split as they tried to attack both groups at once.
I soon forgot about the others as the first zombies reached towards me and I lashed out with the hatchet. Blood and brain flew free as the thin bone of the temples, shattered beneath my blow. I brushed aside the gasping hands of another zombie and stabbed it beneath the jaw with my knife.
Cass and Gregg could stay further away with the longer reach of their golf club weapons, but I had to get within reach of the undead to land my strikes. More than once I felt undead fingers pressing painf
ully into my arms as they tried to pull me within reach of their foul teeth.
The hunger of these creatures was almost palpable as they tried to reach us, each zombie determined only to satisfy its own hunger and often getting in the way of another. If they had the brain capacity to work together we would have been overwhelmed.
Soon enough the last of the zombies fell and quiet once more came to the golf course save for the heavy breathing of my companions and I. Disgust and exhaustion warred on their faces, while all I felt was a fevered joy.
I had to fight down the urge to laugh and did my best to appear suitably solemn as the group moved away from the corpse littered area and gathered together alert for signs of any more threats. Pat and Rachel had joined us at some point during the fight and were as gore spattered as the rest of us.
“We survived” Gregg said with awe.
“Not everyone did” Claire said with what seemed genuine sorrow as she looked back towards the club house and Roberts still form.
“He will turn” I said, careful to keep the glee from my voice. “Someone will need to ensure he doesn’t.” I was eager for it to be me, one more kill that could be mine and mine alone.
“I’ll do it” said Eric, “I brought him here, its’ on me.”
A scream startled us all and I turned to find Cass lying on the ground hands clasped to her ankle. The zombie that had bitten her was trying to pull itself across the ground towards her to get another bite.
Gregg yelled in rage and anguish as he ran forward and struck repeatedly at the downed zombie with his gold club until it stopped moving. He then turned to his sister and fell to his knees beside her, taking her into his arms as he wept.
“Get them back inside” Eric ordered Pat and Rachel who nodded and moved to help. Pat lifted Cass easily in his strong arms and carried her back to the club house, Rachel and Claire each put an arm around Gregg and tried to offer comfort as they led him along behind Pat.
“I don’t think there’s anything I can do to help her” said Louise sadly.
“She may not be infected” Eric said, “Perhaps you can give her something to keep her calm though, and Gregg too.”
Louise nodded and ran after the others leaving me alone with Eric who was currently looking at me with suspicion.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing. I better check on Robert, you can head inside” he said.
“No that’s ok. I will stick around and make sure no more zombies turn up.” I told him.
Eric grunted and turned toward the place Robert had fallen. I followed along behind, full of a bubbling energy and eager for another fight. I idly contemplated killing Eric but ultimately decided against it. I had made a promise and while I would work around that promise as much as I could, I wouldn’t explicitly break it.
My thoughts turned to Lily and concern returned. I would feel very tired shortly as the adrenaline left my system and I would need sleep. There was little I could do until morning anyway, the light from the moon and stars was barely enough to allow us to defend ourselves out in the open. Searching for Lily would have to wait until dawn.
Eric paused beside Roberts’ body and stared down at it. “Do you think we should wait for him to turn?” he asked.
“Makes no real difference if you do it now or after he starts moving, result will be the same.”
“It feels wrong though.”
I shrugged and scanned the area around us for anything that could be a threat. I had no intention to get bitten like Cass had. It was a shame really, she had proven herself fairly competent and now our group would have one less person that I could rely on.
“Have some respect” Eric snapped.
“Huh?” I replied and then realised I had been humming quietly. It was a habit I had formed, when I was in a pleasant mood, usually after a kill. I made an effort to appear more reserved and as distraught as a normal person would be. It seemed that the need for pretence was still strong even in the midst of a world ending event.
Robert turned and tried to rise within half an hour of our wait and Eric crushed his skull with one swing of his golf club, then turned and went into the club house, his expression dark. I followed with a low chuckle, it would have been nice to kill Robert myself but the pain Eric was feeling from having to do it was fascinating.
I paused at the door and took one last long look across the golf course, but no sign could be seen of Lily. I would be up early to head out and search for her. I went inside.
Cass lay on a table in the dining room. She was sweating and her skin was hot to the touch. Gregg sat beside her and held her hand as his tears fell, while Rachel and Claire offered what little comfort they could. Pat stood in the doorway and watched as Louise inspected the bite.
“Not looking good.” I said to Pat.
“No. No it’s not.” He replied, running a hand through the short fuzz of hair that was starting to cover his head. “I wish that fucker would stop his praying, it’s doing my head in.” He said with a nod towards Jim who sat with head bowed close by.
“His praying hasn’t done a great deal so far has it?”
“Aye.”
“Are you folk going to be ok down here?” I asked, “I intend to be up early so think I will get some sleep.”
“Sure, I’ll wake you if we need anything.”
“How the hell can you sleep when your friend is in there, suffering.” Eric snarled from behind me.
“I can sleep because I am tired and while I can do nothing for her, I have another friend to think about.” I said.
“There’s something off about you” Eric spoke softly and stepped in close, his eyes level with my own. If he was trying to intimidate me, he wouldn’t have much luck.
“I am sure there is” I told him with a wide grin, “Now if you will excuse me, I need some sleep.”
With poor grace Eric gave way and let me past and I grabbed my pack from the floor and headed up to the manager’s office. It would be colder and less comfortable, but I would be less likely to be attacked when Cass turned if I were upstairs.
The heavy pack was placed behind the door, it would block anyone opening the door quietly at least. Satisfied that I would be able to get some rest undisturbed I settled into the chair and closed my eyes.
Chapter 14
I awoke with a headache and a throbbing pain in my ankle which complimented the sharp pain in my neck from sleeping in a chair and the dull muscle ache in my shoulder from the unaccustomed exercise of swinging a hatchet around for so long last night.
With a grunt and a great deal of mental effort, I managed to get to my feet and stood before the window stretching and trying to work some of the pain from my muscles.
The world beyond the window was still dark and by the looks of things, quite wet. I moved the rucksack from behind the door and went to relieve myself. I then spent a little time at the sink as I attempted to wash away the variety of zombie fluids that were covering my hands and face.
As clean as I could be without a proper shower, I descended the stairs to see what food was available in the kitchen. I was ravenous and if I intended to go out and find Lily, I would need some fuel for my body.
I slipped into the kitchen through the staff entrance rather than wake the people in the bar and rummaged for some food. I eventually settled for some breadsticks and a little of the cold leftovers from whatever meal Claire had made the day before.
It wasn’t bad, whatever it was supposed to be. I filled a plate and went into the dining room to see if anything had changed.
Cass was still lying on the table, her face was flushed and even in the dim light of a couple of candles I could see beads of sweat on her brow. Gregg sat beside her with his head in his hands, while Louise slept lightly nearby.
“Are you eating?” Eric hissed into my ear.
“I’m hungry.” I told him. “What are you doing up anyway?”
“We have been taking it in turns to make sure she doesn’t hurt anyone” he whi
spered with a quick glance at Cass.
“Ok. Well I am setting off as soon as it gets light.”
“Where to?”
“To look for Lily” I told him around a mouthful of food.
“You need to wait here and care for your friend” he said, “John knows the area and I’m sure they will turn up once it’s light.”
“Maybe, maybe not. Probably just best that I go and have a look for her.”
“What about your friends here. They need you.” He insisted.
I sighed and put my plate down on one of the empty tables before striding across the room towards Gregg. He looked up as I approached and I could see his eyes were red with dark shadows around them.
“How are you doing?” I asked him.
“Not good mate... my sister...”he broke off as tears filled his eyes and I waited with as much patience as I could muster, as he gathered himself together.
“I hate this. I can’t just sit here and watch her die man, it’s just not right.” He sniffed and pulled a tissue from a box that sat on the table behind him, before quietly blowing his nose. “She always looked after me, you know?”
A nod of the head seemed appropriately sympathetic “Sure.” I said.
“When my parents kicked me out for being... different, she left with me and she has looked after me ever since.”
I wondered if I was supposed to put my arm around him or something before deciding on just nodding again.
“What am I supposed to do?” he asked imploringly.
“Stay with her and be ready to...” I began.
“Yeah yeah, that’s it. Be there for her. Thanks mate.” He mustered a smile and turned back to staring at his sister.
“Sure” I said with some confusion. I wasn’t sure what I had said but he seemed ok with it. I went back to Eric and picked up my food once again. “See he is fine.” I said.
Eric gave me something that may have been a glare, but the dim lighting hid whatever it was.
“Which way did they go and where were they to dump the car?” I asked.
Without a word Eric walked away and went into the bar. He returned a few minutes later with a map book. “Here. I drew the routes on this for them.” He said.
Search for Safety: Killing the Dead Book Two Page 11
