Killing the Dead (Books 4-6)

by Murray, Richard

  “Easier than leaving them alive.” I said and Lily rounded on me.

  “Is this what you’d be doing if you hadn’t made your promise to me?”

  “I would be neater.” I said and saw a look of irritation cross her face.

  “Really?”

  “Ok, perhaps not. I wouldn’t necessarily kill everyone I came across. I’m not a total psychopath.” I said.

  “I know you aren’t.” She said with a wry smile. “You saved Emma when you had no need to.”

  “Well I like kids.” I said as I pulled open the car door and ducked inside. Lily laughed as she walked around the car and climbed into the driver’s seat.

  “I’m glad you aren’t a total psychopath.” She said.

  “Does it bother you that I am... what I am?” I asked curiously.

  “No.” She said after a moment’s thought. “I suppose it should. Hell if we weren’t in the middle of an apocalypse I would probably have run screaming to the police already.”

  “Well that’s one reason to be glad the end of the world happened then.” I said with a smile of my own.

  “I suppose we should keep moving and see if we can find somewhere that hasn’t been looted.” Lily said as she started the engine.

  “Keep going south for now.” I suggested. “We should find somewhere before too long.”

  “You think?”

  “I hope so... we need to figure out if the looters are in the area and the easiest way to do that is to find where they have and haven’t been.”

  We continued along the road passing open fields interspersed with stands of tall trees and rock formations that jutted from the earth and loomed over the road.

  Another house and a small farm had been thoroughly looted with several more bodies left to rot. The majority of the farm animals had been left to wander in the fields and we made a note of the location to come back and gather them up.

  If we could find somewhere to stable them closer to the apartments then we would have a potential source of protein during the winter months. The few chickens I had seen pecking at the frozen ground would be a welcome addition for their eggs if nothing else.

  Disappointed at the lack of food and useable items at the properties we had found we continued on, the ache in my stomach reminding me that it was close to midday and I hadn’t eaten yet.

  A short way along the road from the farm we came to a group of houses clustered together around the junction where three roads met.

  Each of the houses had walls that ended at the road with no pavement to walk along. They were all made of the same stone and each had at least two storeys with only limited space in front of each home for a tiny garden area though I could see that each had a back garden that was quite impressive.

  “Well I guess the looters haven’t been this far.” Lily said quietly as she slowed the car to a gentle stop just beyond the houses.

  “It doesn’t seem likely.” I agreed as I watched the first of the undead standing in the road notice our presence.

  Chapter 9

  “Do we drive away?” Lily asked casually with no trace of panic in her voice.

  “Let’s just kill them.” I said after a quick count of the zombies in the road. “If this place hasn’t been looted we could end up with some supplies.”

  “Ok, you going to be fine with just your knife?”

  “I am sure I will manage.” I said with a wide grin as the excitement grew at the thought of the forthcoming violence.

  My knife was in my hand and held ready as I exited the car to stand out in the cold air as I waited for the first zombie to approach within range.

  The undead before us were most definitely the shambling and stupid kind. They wouldn’t work together and would be more likely to hinder rather than help each other. It would lessen the fun a little but it could still be dangerous.

  Lily had left the car and was standing on the opposite side from me, her meat tenderizer in hand and a look of determination on her face. She had come a long way since that first panicked day when the dead were pursuing her.

  The first zombie reached the car, its shabby clothing stained and torn. Deep furrows had been made across its face by what I could only assume to be the fingers of its killer. Its eyes had a milky colouring though it seemed able to see me.

  I knocked aside its outthrust arms and jabbed the knife through one of those milky orbs. Dark fluid spurted from the wound and I had the fleeting hope that the houses around us would have soap and running water.

  As the first zombie fell another four had reached the car. Lily cracked the skull of the closest and I ducked beneath the flailing arms of another as I sliced my blade across the back of a thirds knee.

  My cut was deep enough that the creature lost control of its leg and collapsed to the ground as I rose behind the second and jabbed my knife into the back of its skull.

  Lily was holding her meat tenderizer in both hands and swinging it for all she was worth at the fourth zombie as I pulled on my knife. It came free slowly with a soft sucking sound and I immediately stabbed it down into the head of the zombie whose leg I had damaged.

  I looked up and saw Lily glance my way and point towards the houses ahead of us. I followed her gesture and saw the remaining three zombies making their slow way closer to us.

  With little need to tell Lily what to do I set off to meet the undead and knew she would be following to join me in battle so I stepped around the first zombie in the road and lashed out towards the second as I heard the crunch behind me that indicated Lily had covered my back.

  A wild swing of an arm deflected my blow and I swore as the second zombie collided with me and pushed me back against one of the garden walls.

  It stank and as I gripped its throat in my left hand in an effort to keep its teeth away from my flesh, my fingers sank into the soft flesh and the skin sloughed off in my hand. Free of my grip the zombie lunged forward and bit down on my jacket just as I managed to thrust my knife through its temple.

  “You alive and un-bitten?” Lily asked.

  “I think so.” I said as I inspected my jacket. The thick material had held and though it would need a good wash, it had stopped the teeth breaking through to my skin.

  “Good to know. I’m fine by the way.” Lily said with what sounded like exasperation and I glanced across to her.

  “I am fairly certain that you would have told me if you weren’t.”

  “People still like to hear you ask.” Lily said with a sigh, “It shows that you are concerned and that you care.”

  “Oh.”

  “Never mind.” She said with a roll of her eyes that she didn’t even try to hide. “Which house do you want to try first?”

  “The one closest to the car would make sense,” I said with a gesture to the house beside us. “I think we should grab any food, drink and medical stuff for now. We can come back tomorrow and grab the non-essentials.”

  “Makes sense.” Lily agreed, “Just bear in mind that the houses might not be empty.”

  We approached the front door of the house cautiously. It was easy to remember the house we had tried to clear once before. A crazy old lady had nearly taken my head off with a shotgun blast and it seemed that half the people in the countryside had guns.

  Lily made sure to knock on the door first and when we had no response, tried the handle. When the door failed to open she looked questioningly at me.

  “Do we try and break in or check for a back door or unlocked windows first?”

  “I think we’ve given up all pretence of being quiet,” I said with a glance over my shoulder at the bodies lying in the road. “Might as well get used to breaking in to places.”

  The door was made of solid wood and it took an irritatingly long time to break in. It was something that we would no doubt have plenty of practice doing in the future and we would improve. We’d have to since I could see that we could easily encounter a situation where speed was o
f the essence.

  We moved through the house room by room to ensure it was empty and safe for a thorough search. After we had both agreed that it was safe to do so we began the search.

  To speed things up we chose separate floors. Lily took the first floor while I remained on the ground floor.

  I had a quick look through the living room and found nothing of use, mostly electronic items and family photos which were of no use. With higher hopes of finding something I headed into the kitchen. It was laid out with a sturdy table pushed up against one wall and the appliances and various cupboards arranged in a rough semi-circle around the other three walls of the room.

  It was unlikely that anything would remain edible after being in a refrigerator or freezer without power but I pulled open the fridge in the hopes of finding some bottled water or even cans of pop. All I found was mold and a stench that would have overpowered the strongest smelling zombie.

  The cupboards were much more fruitful and I cheerfully pulled tins of soup and vegetables out of them and stacked them neatly on the table. Various condiments and sauce packets joined the pile as did the large packs of rice and pasta. Both were staples that we would likely be sick of before long but would remain edible for longer than most items.

  Breakfast cereals could be eaten dry though if we ever found a source of milk then they would certainly taste better. A half full jar of coffee and an unopened box of tea bags joined the growing pile on the table and I even found a couple of pies. They were the kind that were sealed into a tin and could be opened and popped into the oven. If nothing else they would be the first source of meat we had had for a while.

  Once the cupboards were cleaned out of anything even remotely edible I gathered any utensils that I could find. Knives, forks and spoons were all useful as were mugs, bowls and plates. Whoever had lived in the house had also owned an expensive set of copper pans that I decided would be worth taking.

  “Wow, you’ve found a nice amount of stuff.” Lily said as she walked into the room, a small rucksack held loosely in one hand.

  “It won’t last very long when feeding everyone. We’ll need a lot more than this.” I said.

  “Yeah.” Lily agreed. “I found a few things upstairs. Some medicine in the bathroom cabinet will be useful but most of the stuff up there can be brought later.”

  “Ok, well I am about done in here we can start loading it into the car if you want and then check another house.”

  “Sounds good to me.” She said as she began gathering tins of food.

  In a short time we had the boot of the car filled and the last few items were stacked on the back seat of the car.

  “What type of car is this anyway?” I asked curiously.

  “It’s an Audi why?”

  “I just wondered.” I said, “It has occurred to me that I know very little about these vehicles and considering the fact that we can’t just call a taxi, I may need to learn more about them.”

  “That’s a good idea.” Lily said agreeably, “I know a bit about cars and I’d be happy to show you a thing or two.”

  “Thank you. I would appreciate that.” I said with sincerity and she smiled brightly.

  “So what do you want to do?” she asked. “Another house or head back?”

  “I think we have time for another house.” I said with a glance to the sky, “It looks like it may rain soon though and we should be back before it gets too dark.”

  We chose the next house simply by how close it was to the car. It was a single storey dwelling and would have been a pleasant looking little house if the front door wasn’t hanging open with streaks of blood visible on the wall just inside.

  “Looks like some of those zombies came from in here,” I said as we approached the door and cautiously peered inside.

  “Maybe.” Lily agreed quietly and I looked back at her and caught a look of sorrow that she tried to hide.

  “Would you prefer if I cleared the house?” I asked.

  “No, it’s fine.” She said with an attempt at a smile and a small gesture for me to enter.

  I shrugged as I crossed the threshold. She would no doubt tell me if something was bothering her and if she didn’t, well I had never possessed much ability in figuring out what emotions people were dealing with.

  The blood on the wall was in a rough line around waist height and covered the length of the hallway that we stood in. I rapped sharply on the wall with the pommel of my knife and waited for a response from within. When no response came either in the form of a rampaging zombie or query from a survivor, we moved further into the house.

  In the living room we found a large bloody stain on the carpet and I surmised that someone was attacked and killed on that spot, before rising again and making its way out of the house. The next room was a tiny kitchen that had a few cupboards and a door set to one side that opened into an old fashioned pantry that was stocked with plenty of tinned and packaged food stuff.

  “Good lord,” Lily exclaimed, “That is a welcome sight.”

  “Do you want to start packing it into the car while I finish the house search?” I asked and she nodded once before stepping into the pantry and pulling items from the shelves.

  I left her busily looting and went in search of the bedroom. It seemed the house was a one bedroom property and it didn’t take long to clear the bedroom and bathroom.

  While in the bathroom I gathered up the various pills and ointments from the cabinet as well as a few of the towels and the soap and shampoo. I only found an electric razor and left it on its shelf above the sink before carrying the items out to the car.

  Lily passed me on the way back into the house and flashed me a smile that I returned. It was pleasant to see her smiling and whatever had caused the sorrowful look earlier seemed to have passed.

  We had to stack most of the items on the back seat and floor of the car and by the time we had finished loading everything into it a light rain had begun to fall.

  “I think we have everything we can fit into the car already so should head back.” Lily said as she slammed shut the back door of the Audi.

  “Ok, we can come back tomorrow.” I said with one final look around the houses. “I would prefer to get everything at once so perhaps we should bring some others to clear these houses while we go in search of a van.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” Lily said, “Come on, let’s get back home and have something to eat. I’m starving.”

  Chapter 10

  The drive back to our new home was pleasant if a little slow. With the arrival of the rain that steadily grew heavier as time wore on, Lily was forced to drive slowly and carefully. Visibility was low and the roads were not familiar to either of us.

  By the time we arrived safely back at the apartments the rain was easing a little and the light was fading as the sun inched closer to the horizon. We drove all the way up to the entrance of the apartments seemingly without being noticed.

  “Where is everyone?” Lily asked with some alarm.

  “One way to find out.” I said as I unsheathed my knife.

  We walked through the main entrance and found no people living or undead. Lily was looking more and more concerned as we glanced through the first doors we passed and saw no evidence of a struggle but no people either.

  “Try out back.” I said and she nodded tensely.

  The door that led out to the back of the building was closed and I gestured Lily to wait to one side as I pressed myself against the wall and reached out to push the door open an inch, just enough to see out.

  “What the hell?” I said as I pushed the door fully open and strode out. Lily followed shaking her head, her look of concern turning to irritation.

  Our entire group were standing outside in the rain. A small cluster of people by the barbecue grill seemed to be preparing a meal. The children were playing chase together in the centre of the grass under the watchful eye of Julie and everyone else was huddled by the lake shore s
taring across the lake.

  “What the hell is going on?” Lily demanded loudly as she marched across the wet grass towards the group by the shore.

  I took a moment to sheath my knife before following along. I was more than a little irritated that the people we had left at the apartments had done nothing to protect our new home.

  “Matthew, what the hell?” Lily said as she grabbed his shoulder and swung him around.

  “Huh?”

  “You were supposed to be getting organised while we were away.” she said crossly. “What the hell have you been doing?”

  “We organised the apartments a little and took inventory.” Matthew said defensively as more than a few heads in the crowd turned to watch what was happening.

  “Is that all?” Lily demanded, “You were supposed to start on securing the road and organising a sentry.”

  I saw Gregg in the crowd nudge Pat and grin and I raised an eyebrow questioningly as I caught his eye. He pushed his way through the crowd towards me as Lily responded to Matthew.

  “Even if you don’t have any tools to cut down a bloody tree, you could have put some people out there to watch the road. Anyone could have walked right up to us. What the hell have you been doing?” her voice was rising as she unleashed all of her irritation on a red faced Matthew.

  “Nice to see you mate.” Gregg said with a wide smile and a nod as reached my side.

  “What’s everyone doing out here?” I asked quietly as Lily continued to question Matthew loudly.

  “There’s been something going on across the lake.” Gregg said.

  “Couple of big explosions earlier and a lot of shooting. Could hear it clearly.” Pat added.

  “That’s to be expected though,” I said, “It shouldn’t mean everything stops.”

  “Yeah, that’s what we said but no one was listening.” Gregg said. “Matthew seems to have given up.”

  “He’s bloody useless.” Pat agreed. “Maybe she can get him to listen.” He added with a nod towards Lily.

  I turned back to see Matthew shouting back at Lily, his hands were raised threateningly as he towered over her and spat an angry retort.