Devouring The Dead (Book 2): Nemesis

by Watts, Russ

  “Interesting...Ed you need some rest. Go get some sleep. You can leave the radio for now. I don’t think we’re going to get much more out of it for a while.”

  Ed got up. “Thank you, sir.” Ed walked past Lazarus who watched Ed leave. As he opened the door, Lazarus spoke. He forced his lips to smile, but his eyes were cold and hard.

  “Ed, I don’t need to tell you that this is confidential. Everything you’ve heard in here stays between you and me. Are we clear? Rumours and gossip serve none of us well.”

  “Absolutely. I won’t breathe a word, you can trust me.” Ed shut the door behind him and trudged across the yard back to his bed, desperate for some sleep and pleased to have left Lazarus alone.

  Lazarus waited a moment and then left the house empty, traipsing through the cluster of stone houses back toward the castle. As he passed the pub, he saw Honok hauling a large black bag across the hillside. He was dragging it behind him with clear difficulty as it kept catching on the rocks. Lazarus watched for a moment wondering what he was doing. It was nearly seven and he should be preparing for the scouting party.

  As Honok dragged the long black bag over a large rock, he felt a hand on his shoulder and whirled around, surprised.

  “Lazarus! I mean, sir, sorry. I was not expecting...”

  “Evidently,” said Lazarus. “What are you doing, Honok? You should be up at the castle now. We’ve a job to do. Did Walker not tell you?”

  Honok was a stumpy man and looked up at Lazarus who towered over him, his black coat reflecting the morning sunshine. Honok dropped the bag at his feet. “I just had to do this one job for Norm, sir. He said it was important.”

  “Did he now?” Lazarus bent down and unzipped one end of the bag. A woman’s arm appeared, cold and limp. As Lazarus unzipped it further the woman’s body appeared and he saw the bruises and cuts on her. She wore a ripped blue shirt and there were some jeans stuffed into the bottom of the bag near her feet. Lazarus recognised her as one of the women from the cells that Norm was supposed to be guarding. They had picked her up a week ago and she had been young, fit and healthy. Now she was the opposite of healthy. Norm was failing.

  “Carry on, Honok, and then hurry up, will you. Don’t worry about this. I’ll speak to Norm.”

  Lazarus walked away as Honok picked the bag up. He dragged it a few more meters over the rough terrain and reached the cliff edge. Holding the two ends of the bag, he carefully tipped it over and the woman’s body rolled out. Honok folded the bag up – they would need it again – and kicked the dead woman. Her body plummeted over the side of the cliff and landed on the sharp rocks below. Honok peered over and saw she had landed on one of the higher rocks. Its pinnacle had ripped her body in half. He watched her legs slowly disappear under the waves, but her torso and head remained stuck. She would have to wait until high tide before the rest of her became fish food.

  Honok grunted and then began the walk up to the castle. He had tried to keep her hidden from Lazarus. It wasn’t his fault. Norm was the one who would have to answer for her death. Honok’s short legs made swift work of the hillside and he made his way through the castle toward the meeting point. He had been to the mainland a few times on missions. He enjoyed them. It meant freedom for a few hours. He was happy working here at the castle for Lazarus, but when he got the chance, he loved to go ashore. He had spent all his life working for someone else and he longed for the time he could be himself, away from watching eyes.

  He heard noises coming from the dungeon below, but knew better than to investigate. If Norm was down there, he would be facing the music. Norm was an idiot. Honok didn’t even know why Lazarus put up with him. He was too stupid to be of any use. That was probably why he was put on sentry duty for the prisoners. It was an easy job that even an imbecile could do.

  Honok walked down a cold stone corridor. It was nothing like the rest of the castle. There were no decorations adorning these walls unless you counted damp and moss. The floor had a slimy sheen over it. Dampness pervaded the whole building once you got down low enough. At the end of the corridor were some small steps that wound downward to another room. Honok had walked this path many times.

  He entered the room and felt his spirits lift immediately. There were the boxes and stacks of food and drink he had helped gather from previous trips. They kept cool and fresh down here, away from sunlight and prying hands. There were no windows down in this room and one entrance, a large oak door set into the stonework that could only be unlocked by Walker or Lazarus. A set of rails ran through the middle of the room and they headed straight for the door. The cart was there, empty and waiting for him. Honok unlocked it and quickly checked it over. It was fine, as he knew it would be. It would carry them easily, just as it had ferried people for years.

  Honok heard footsteps and talking. Walker and Tim came down the steps and their noise echoed around the underground cavern.

  “Honok, all good to go?” asked Walker.

  Honok acknowledged him with a curt nod of the head. “Why is he coming?”

  “Lazarus wants him to. There’s no problem, is there?” said Walker.

  “No sir.”

  “You’re such a prick, Honok,” said Tim as he ran his fingers over the cart. “So how does this work? I can’t see an engine. There’s no ropes either so it’s not on a pulley system. Where does it go?”

  “To the mainland,” said Lazarus as he entered the room. There was a noticeable shift in the atmosphere when he appeared, as if the temperature in the cold room had suddenly dropped another few degrees.

  “You push it. Think you can manage that?” said Honok to Tim.

  Another member of Lazarus’ trusted men, Shane, appeared. Shane often went with Honok on these trips. He was loyal to Lazarus and had been a bricklayer before the infection. He could be relied on to do the hard graft nobody else wanted to do, or was capable of.

  “Right then, listen up,” said Lazarus. “Shane, Honok, I want you out there today looking for the usual: tins or packets of any useful food, alcohol too if you can. I want you to get Tim to help you. Remember, he hasn’t been out on a run before so watch each other’s backs. I don’t need to remind you that Walker will check you when you come back. Any bites, scratches or signs of infection will see you with a one-way ticket back there on your own, permanently.

  “There’s something else too. I need you to find guns. The more the better, quite frankly. I don’t want to go into any details, but we need to be able to defend ourselves and we will be better prepared if we can fight fire with fire.”

  “One question,” said Tim. “How do we get around out there? I mean the tunnel to the mainland doesn’t take us straight into Penzance, does it?”

  “No, you idiot,” said Honok shaking his head. “Fucking hell, when do you think this tunnel was built? It’s over a hundred years old, moron. It goes in a straight line to the nearest point on the coast. There’s nothing there, but we have a vehicle parked up. I have the keys. We get over there, drive to the nearest town and start looking. For weapons we’ll probably have to get into Penzance. I doubt we’ll be back before the sun goes down. You think you can do this, Timmy?”

  “Listen, Honok, you’ve got an attitude. You want to start something, then let’s go. I’m not afraid of you.”

  As Tim glared at Honok, Walker put a hand on Tim’s arm. “Tim, cool it. If we can’t trust you to keep a cool head in here, what are you going to be like out there? Do you remember how it is? How we found you? Shut up and get on with it.”

  Honok unlatched the cart as Walker unlocked the doors and swung them back. The tunnel ahead was dark and cold. Tim could smell the water above, the salt mingling with the icy cold air and he stifled a sneeze. Honok began pushing the cart on the tracks and Tim took the other side.

  “Don’t forget,” Lazarus said quietly to Shane. “Remember what I told you.”

  “Don’t worry, sir, I’ll see to it,” said Shane as he lumbered after the cart.

  Walker close
d the doors and locked them again. “What was that?” he asked Lazarus as they left the underground cavern.

  “Nothing. Just a little extra job I asked Shane to help me with. Did you see to Norm? Looks like he’s been getting carried away again. I caught Honok this morning disposing of one of the girls.”

  “I saw to him, sir. He’ll behave from now on. I’m afraid we’re down to one. The older woman, Tanya, passed last night. I don’t know exactly when, but I’ve asked Norm to tidy up the mess. It looks like she managed to off herself at last. There’s blood all over the place.”

  “Fine, fine, whatever. Just deal with him. Walker, we might have trouble coming. Come upstairs with me, I want to speak to you about it. We’ll have some breakfast and figure it out. And if the boys are lucky we might get some new recruits today. Going into Penzance is more dangerous, I’ll admit, but it brings more rewards. Who knows what, or who, they might come across.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  As Tom laughed, Heidi marvelled at the way Tom’s blue eyes creased at the edges. They were sitting in the kitchen munching peanut butter on rye bread for breakfast, having awoken a few minutes earlier. The kitchen was at the rear of the house and elevated so they could afford to open the curtains without being seen from the road. The window looked out over nothing more than a field of crops and it almost felt like normality. It was going to be a clear autumn day. The window was open and the air was cool and crisp.

  “So you’ve really never seen Star Wars?” Tom laughed again. “I can’t believe it. We’ll have to see if we can sort that out one day.”

  Heidi grinned back at him. Jessica had been true to her word and found some clothes for her. They were a little baggy, but at least she felt warmer now in the maroon tracksuit Jessica had given her. She noticed Tom had marks on his arms, red lines and scars that looked like they had healed without having been treated properly.

  “How did you get those?” Heidi asked him.

  “These? They’re nothing really. It wasn’t easy getting out of the city and we’ve had a few scrapes along the way. All of us have some scars.”

  “They look sore, do they hurt?”

  “Not any more. I’m quite lucky actually. I managed to avoid the infection, God knows how.”

  Jessica came into the kitchen and helped herself to some breakfast. She had already dressed and looked wide awake, ready for the day, even though it was barely seven o’ clock.

  “They’re his war wounds,” she said ruffling Tom’s hair. “I think he’s proud of them.”

  Tom looked up at her and she winked at him. Heidi watched, unsure if this was a private joke or not. She pushed her chair back and got up.

  “Here, Jess, you can take my seat, I’m done anyway. I’m going to take something in for Mum and Dad if that’s okay?”

  “Go for it,” said Tom. As Jessica sat down, he watched Heidi leave, her wavy blonde hair striking his eyes as it contrasted with the red tracksuit she wore.

  “Earth to Tom, hello? I said what’s the plan today?” Jessica kicked his shin under the table.

  “Oh, sorry, um, yeah I was talking to Harry, Jackson and Laurent last night. I assume you’ve looked out front this morning?”

  “Yeah, they’re still there. There are hundreds of the dead bastards. What are we going to do? Rosa’s freaking out and I can’t say I blame her. Christina’s upstairs with Caterina now trying to calm her down. She thinks she’s going to have the baby in this house. I mean she’s not even due for another three months.”

  “I can understand why she’s worried though. I think we have to leave. The ship is due in Penzance tomorrow. If we stay here, the dead could find a way in or at least block us in. We don’t want to get trapped in this house. Harry reckons we should just go for it today. Find somewhere closer to Penzance to stay tonight so we’re ready in the morning. Plus, what if they come early? We don’t want to find our ship has sailed.” Tom took another slice of bread.

  “I agree with Harry,” said Jackson. He looked old and tired. He was followed by Leonard who was still wearing the same pyjamas they had found him in. Jackson had tried to coax him into getting changed. They had plenty of spare clothes in the house, but Leonard refused. He liked his pyjamas, he had said, and Carol wouldn’t recognise him if he changed now. How would she find him if he got changed into a stranger’s clothes, he had argued. Jackson wore a blue and white chequered shirt and baggy jeans, the only things he found that came close to fitting him. Tom thought he looked a little like an old gold-era prospector.

  Heidi had given her parents some food, but they were exhausted and still rousing themselves from a bad night’s sleep. Heidi followed behind Jackson and Leonard and stood in the corner of the kitchen, desperate to hear more from Tom. Whatever was going on, she wanted to be a part of it. She felt like she had missed so much from being cooped up at home that now she wanted to know, and be a part of everything.

  Jackson grabbed some bread and spread some peanut butter thinly across it. Then he took a bottle of water and poured some into a glass. He held them out for Leonard.

  “Many thanks, Mr Jackson,” said Leonard. He held the glass and bread and then looked around the room for a seat.

  Tom stood up and let Leonard sit down, who proceeded to down the water, then nibble on the bread like a rabbit gnawing on a lettuce leaf.

  “How is he?” asked Tom.

  Jackson gave a non-committal shrug. “Hard to say. He’s essentially fine, but I think he might be suffering from dementia. He refuses to change and he keeps saying he wants to go back and get Billy. I think it was a friend he was staying with. I managed to get out of him that he lived in a big old house with lots of other people like him. I think it was close by.”

  “Oh yeah, the old codger’s place that’s just around the corner from ours,” said Heidi. “It was anyway. He must’ve come from there and ended up in our back garden. Bloody hell, he gave me a fright I can tell you. What was that old folk’s home called...? ‘Peaceful’ something or other...I can’t remember.”

  “Peaceful Valley Rest Home,” said Leonard suddenly. “I should say they’ll be wondering where I am soon. Is Carol coming to get me? I do so like her visits. I hope the bad people have gone by then. Oh, have we got any biscuits? Bourbons are my favourite.” With that, Leonard resumed nibbling on his bread, picking out small grains and carefully putting them on the tablemat.

  “Carol’s his daughter,” said Jackson.

  “Is she..?” asked Tom in a hushed tone.

  Jackson shook his head. “Look, Tom, what the hell are we doing? How are we going to feed another four mouths when we can barely feed ourselves? No offence, Heidi.”

  “None taken. I’m just glad you helped us out yesterday. If you hadn’t, well...look we’ll pull our weight. I want to help you. Mum and Dad will too. Honestly, after what I heard last night I’m not going to waste any more time sitting on my arse doing nothing. We’ve been doing that for too long.”

  “Thanks, Heidi,” said Tom. He didn’t notice Jessica roll her eyes. “Look, let’s go into the lounge. Whatever we’re doing we need to decide together. I want everyone in on this. Is everyone up yet?”

  “Yeah, but I think it best to leave Cat upstairs with Christina. She’s a bit delicate this morning. I’ll talk to them when we’re through,” said Jackson. “I think Leonard is happy enough here too. Isn’t that right, Leonard?”

  “Mmm-mm,” muttered Leonard through a mouthful of bread, crumbs spurting out of his mouth over the table. “Mr Jackson, I told you, please call me Lenny. My friends call me Lenny. Only Carol calls me Leonard.”

  “Okay Lenny,” said Jackson. “We’re just going into the other room. Stay here and help yourself to more if you want. We’re going to find a way back to Billy.”

  They left the kitchen and went to the lounge where Daniel and Glenda were rolling up the blankets that had been their bed for the night. Rosa was sipping a glass of water and Harry came downstairs. Moira threw open the curtains and drew t
hem back, tying them to the hooks on the wall. Bright sunlight came streaming into the room.

  “Moira, what are you doing, they’ll see us.” exclaimed Rosa. “Quick, close them again!”

  Moira shook her head. “There’s no point. They know we’re here, Rosa. Since last night, they haven’t dispersed. In fact, if anything, they’ve grown in number. It’s too late to hide behind the curtains now.”

  Heidi snorted a laugh and Jessica glared at her before turning her attention to Tom. “Maybe we should get started? I know the zombies outside aren’t going anywhere, but that doesn’t mean we like having them there, staring at us. Jesus, I can hear them. I don’t like this.”

  “Listen,” said Tom, “for the sake of anyone who isn’t up to speed, here’s the deal. We have one day to get to Penzance where, hopefully, a ship from the British navy will be docking with the intention of extracting any survivors; that’s us. We have transport and yes it’ll be crowded, but even with the extra numbers we can make it. I think we can squeeze into the van. The only difficulty really is getting past those things out there.”

  “Excuse me, Tom? Who says we’re going anywhere?” asked Daniel. “We’re grateful and all, but our lives are here. My wife and I have built up a strong business in Longrock and I’m not sure we should just abandon it to go on some wild goose chase. How do we know this ship you speak of will be there? Our home was our business and we have lived here for over thirty years. The insurance will cover the rebuild and...”

  “The insurance?! Dad, look around you. Longrock is as fucked as the rest of the country!” Heidi pointed out of the window and Glenda stifled a sob.

  “So many poor people,” she whispered into her husband’s shoulder.

  “Heidi Cooper, do not use foul language like that to me and your mother.” Daniel stared at his daughter disapprovingly as Jessica smiled.

  “Without putting too fine a point on it, Daniel, your daughter is right,” said Tom. “There’s no point glossing over the truth of the situation we’re in.”