“Your coat is on the stairs,” Lily said with a nod to the dark bundle I hadn’t noticed on the lower steps.
“You knew I would need it?” I asked with a grin.
“I suspected it was likely.” She smiled back.
“Thank you.” I said and meant it.
I pushed myself to my feet and managed to walk across to the stairs without faltering though as I bent down to pick up my jacket I had to grab the banister for support. I looked across to Lily and caught her watching me with concern.
“Let’s go.” I said with as much cheer as I could manage. The ache in my side was barely noticeable and I was ready for some much needed excitement.
Chapter 5
The boat had been found anchored to a small island close to our last camp and hidden by dense foliage. It was a passenger craft that had been used before the end of the world to ferry people around the lake on sightseeing trips.
It was around fifty feet in length and about twelve in width with a single enclosed cabin that covered the entire length. Glass windows filled the sides allowing the passengers to look out and take pictures of whatever sightseers did.
A dozen seats filled each side of the boat and a small kitchen area with adjacent toilet sat at the back or ‘Stern’ I think it was called. Like much else in life, the nautical terms eluded me and I frequently just referred to things as simply as I could.
Pat was steering the boat from the pilot’s seat and Cass stood beside him and watched through the windscreen as we moved through the water. Lily was sitting on one of the front seats with Gregg and examining the rifle while I sat a few seats back and tried not to fall asleep.
I enjoyed being on the water, the movement of the boat as it glided over the waves was pleasing and though the heavy wind that was blowing was creating some nice sized waves, I just sat and enjoyed the trip.
All of the wood had been removed leaving just dust and mess but plenty of space which I enjoyed for the relative peace it gave me. Even in a separate apartment I was still aware of all the other people in the building and having so many of them in close proximity was incredibly draining to me. I could never just be myself.
When it came to the people currently in the boat with me, I felt that perhaps I could be. My secret was out and while Gregg seemed to be avoiding me, the rest behaved as normal. It was an unfamiliar and pleasant situation.
Lily approached and tossed a pair of thick gloves to me. “Put those on.”
“Why?”
“You don’t want any risk of infection.” She said before turning back to whatever task she was doing with Gregg.
I looked down at my hands, noting all the small scars that were well on their way to healing. It had been nearly a week since I had received numerous small cuts from the broken glass bottle as I searched for a piece of glass large enough to cut my bonds. I realised she was right and pulled on the gloves.
“So what’s the plan?” I called to Lily and she looked up from what she was doing and flashed a quick smile.
“You’ll see.” She called back mysteriously and turned back to her discussion.
I sat and perhaps sulked a little. I hated not knowing what was happening and I was definitely out of the loop on this. It was no doubt Lily’s way of admonishing me for forcing my way on to her mission.
We passed the largest Marina at the southern end of the town and kept moving north towards one of the midsized ones. Small enough to have less undead but large enough to accommodate our boat. I examined the docks as best I could from a distance and really didn’t like what I could see.
The chosen Marina looked to have a coffee house and a bar that faced on to the main road alongside an office building that I assumed would contain the offices for the Marina staff and a glass fronted shop that sold all manner of boating accessories.
Half a dozen docks extended out over the water, only one of which looked able to accommodate our boat. The rest were either too short or had wrecked boats tied up to them already.
Pat and Lily had their heads together and he was pointing towards the larger dock area as they spoke. Since the area beyond the Marina looked to be a main road followed by a huge park and tennis courts, I could only see a hundred or so zombies around the docks.
“That’s a lot of undead to deal with.” I commented and was ignored. “Anyone going to tell me the plan?”
“You don’t need to worry about it because you aren’t leaving the boat.” Lily said.
“I’m not?”
“Nope, you aren’t in any condition to be out fighting.”
“Then why do I need to wear the gloves?” I asked while holding up my hands to show her the offending items.
“In case any get on board and you need to fight.”
“This is ridiculous, I’m not incapable of doing anything.” I said firmly.
“Look, you aren’t going to be up for fighting or heavy lifting at the moment.” Lily said gently, “You need to recover fully.”
“I must be able to do something.” I protested. I had always hated feeling useless.
“He can come with me.” Gregg said before Lily could speak and she paused and looked at him thoughtfully.
“You think?”
“Sure, probably going to be the easiest part and it’ll go easier with an extra pair of hands.”
“Ok, if you’re sure.” Lily told him, “But be careful.”
“Always.” Gregg replied with a grin that faltered as he looked across at me.
“So what exactly will we be doing?” I asked.
“Our job’s easy. We’ll be bait.” He said.
“Bait?”
“Yeah.” He gestured for me to follow him to the back of the cabin and when we reached the wide window that opened out over the Stern I could see a rowboat being pulled along behind us.
“We’re going to get in that and row to the opposite side of the Marina before making a shed load of noise and attracting the attention of every zombie nearby.” Gregg said and I nodded thoughtfully.
“I take it that’s what the gun is for?”
“Yeah,” Gregg said nodding, “We’ll take a couple of shots. Draw them towards us and keep them there while this lot guide the boat in and refuel it.”
“Aren’t you concerned about the water?” I asked with a nod towards the rough waters of the lake.
“Should be fine with two of us,” Gregg said. “One to keep the boat steady and the other to shoot.”
I nodded agreement and we lapsed into a silence that soon grew uncomfortable. I watched with some amusement as Gregg fidgeted and moved his weight from one foot to the other. It seemed he was still not too happy about me.
In another time, before the end began I would have likely have just dealt with him and put him from my mind. That was no longer an option though and I would have to find some way to quiet his concerns before he became a problem that I would have no choice but to deal with.
“You guys ready?” Cass asked as she joined us and we both agreed that we were. “Cool, you guys take this.” She handed Gregg the gun and looked him in the eye, “Good luck little brother, you too Ryan.”
I watched as she walked back to join the others at the front of the boat. With the moment approaching my heart was already beginning to beat faster as the excitement grew and I knew I had made the right choice by choosing to come along.
The boat glided slowly to a stop, still some distance from the docks of the marina, and in a short time Gregg and I were sat in the rowboat that was rocking quite dramatically as the wind blew around us. We were soon drenched with the spray from the lake and I sat cold and uncomfortable as Gregg rowed us away from the boat.
With more strength than I could have provided, he steered us first to the dock where our friends were intending to go, rowing close enough that we could be clearly seen by the zombies.
“You want to take the first shot?” He asked as he checked the rifle.
“No, you can go first.” I said magnanimously. I was trying to win him over and didn’t really like guns anyway.
Raising the rifle to his shoulder, Gregg paused to take aim before squeezing the trigger. I watched the undead clustered on the dock and waited for one to fall.
“I think you missed.” I pointed out helpfully.
“Harder than it looks.” He muttered before aiming again.
The second shot seemed to hit one of them high in the chest, not a kill by any means but it had certainly been enough to get their attention.
“Right on to the next.” He said as he put the rifle carefully on the bottom of the boat.
We stopped at the next three docks and did the same at each. A couple of shots to get the attention and then move on to the next, all the while making sure that the undead were following.
By the time we reached the final dock I could see Lily’s boat gliding in across the water to the first one we had visited. Only a small number of zombies remained on that dock and I couldn’t imagine the group having any real problems with them.
“Here, you try.” Gregg said as he passed the rifle across to me. I took it gingerly.
The last time I had fired one, the recoil had been unexpected enough that I wasted a number of bullets and only killed a couple of the people I was aiming at.
I waited patiently as more of the zombies moved on to the dock, eager to reach us. When I had decided that there were enough there that I was unlikely to miss, I raised the gun to my shoulder and sighted on the first row of walking corpses.
They were a grim looking bunch, all missing limbs and bits of flesh. The weather and their deaths hadn’t been kind to them at all. When I was ready, I pulled the trigger.
“Too low.” Gregg said as he watched the burst of blood from a zombies neck where the bullet hit. “Try again.”
The second shot wasn’t much better and I swore quietly. “There’s a reason I use a knife.”
“Is that the only reason?” Gregg asked curiously, “Because you don’t like guns.”
I considered my words carefully before answering. I had no desire to alienate him more than he was already.
“Guns are not exactly easy to come by.” I told him, “They are expensive, noisy and regulated. An easy way to get caught.”
“So you used a knife on all the other... people.” He said and I was certain he was going to use an emotive word such as ‘victim’ before changing his mind.
“Yes.” I said, “My victims were always killed with a knife.” Ok perhaps I wasn’t trying too hard not to alienate him.
He retrieved the rifle and took another shot at the gathered undead, smiling as he caught one in the head and it toppled into the water.
“How can you kill people?” he asked. “I mean, I get it when it’s you or them and I have no problem with killing the zombies anymore, but how could you just kill regular people?”
He was watching me with a pained expression as though he truly wanted to know and I realised that perhaps he was trying to bridge the gulf that had grown between us since he had found out about me.
“I enjoy it.” I said with a shrug as I watched Pat and Lily drag a hose towards the boat while Cass kept careful watch, meat cleaver in hand.
“You enjoy it? Are you fucking serious?” He snapped, and I glanced over at him in surprise.
“Of course. If I didn’t enjoy it why would I do it?”
“Normal people don’t kill other people,” he said, voice rising in growing anger. “So, what are you, a psycho?”
“No, I’m not a psychopath.” I assured him, “I won’t snap and murder you in your sleep.”
Gregg fired off another shot at the zombies to keep them occupied, they seemed to be closer than before but he spoke again before I could mention it.
“You even think about trying to harm any of us and I’ll kill you first.” He snapped.
“You will?” I said, voice low and calm as I kept tight rein on my own sudden surge of anger. “You should be careful what threats you make to me.”
“Yeah? How about I put a bullet in you now?” He said with a snarl as he turned the gun towards me, my hand was on the hilt of my knife and I had to fight the urge to pull it free.
“Put the gun down.” I said.
“No, I can’t risk you hurting us.” Gregg said and I was surprised to see tears forming and I realised that perhaps this had been his plan all along.
“I liked you.” He said, “You were my friend and then I find out you’re a fucking serial killer.”
“How does that make me any different today than I was a week ago before you knew?” I asked slowly, careful not to take my eyes from him.
“It just is.” He yelled to be heard above the rising moans of the undead.
His finger tightened on the trigger and while I was fairly sure that he wouldn’t actually be able to murder someone in cold blood, I was becoming a little concerned.
“How will you explain to Lily and...” I was cut off as the first zombie hit the side of the boat and bounced off into the water with a splash and Gregg’s rifle went off with a bang.
I grabbed the sides of the rowboat as it rocked violently in the water and looked up at the dock that was close enough that the undead were almost in a frenzy as they tried to reach us. I had little time to assess myself but was reasonably certain that the bullet hadn’t hit me.
Gregg was gaping in surprise at the wall of undead that seemed to tower above us and raised his rifle in alarm before firing a few shots into the densely packed mass of zombies.
“Stop shooting you idiot and grab the oars.” I yelled as another zombie detached from the crowd and fell towards us.
It landed half in the boat, its hands scrabbling for purchase as its jaw moved trying to take bites from our flesh. I lashed out with my knife and pierced it through the eye. It went still and I was able to push it out of the boat as another fell from the wooden boards to land in the water beside us.
The boat was moving ever closer to the docks, carried along on the waves created by the violent wind that was growing in strength. Gregg was fumbling with the oars and I realised it would be too late as we moved fully beneath the shadow of the massed undead.
Grateful for the adrenaline boost that would perhaps help keep me alive I reached forward and grabbed a shocked Gregg by the shoulders before pulling him over the side of the rowboat, away from the docks and into the freezing waters of the lake as the first of the zombies landed on the boat.
Chapter 6
I kicked out to push away from the rowboat, fighting against the current as I dragged a still struggling Gregg along with me to surface a couple of feet away from flimsy craft that was fast overflowing with the undead.
Gregg surged up out of the water gasping for breath and flailing his arms comically as he tried to stay above water. I kept watch on both him and the zombies reaching out from the sides of the boat as I tried to sheath my knife without stabbing myself in the process. I was damned if I would lose another weapon.
“What the hell!” Gregg yelled as he spat out murky lake water.
“Start swimming.” I instructed loudly to be heard over the wind and moaning undead before adding, “not sure how deep the water is here and you really don’t want one of them grabbing your leg.”
Without waiting for him to respond I kicked out to push against the waves away from the dock and the undead. It was hard going and I knew without a doubt that I wasn’t in any condition to swim far or even to stay in the water for long.
Casting about for options I soon realised they were severely limited. The rest of our group were perhaps a hundred metres away on our right watching us and helpless to do anything while they refuelled. Ahead were the docks and the heaving mass of zombies, a good number of which had fallen into the water. Without air in their lungs they wouldn’t float but I knew from experience that they would grab hold of anything that came too close.
To
our left was the best option, barely twenty feet and moving along with the waves rather than against them towards the lake shore and the main road beyond. With little choice I grabbed hold of Gregg to get his attention and yelled for him to follow before I set off swimming.
I was moving through a lake of frozen water with the wind howling at my back and my extremities rapidly numbing. Moving towards an uncertain reception on the shore and with someone who had once been my friend but who had recently tried to kill me right behind. I wasn’t in the best of moods.
We swam past the docks giving wide berth to ensure we encountered no zombies in the water. We soon lost sight of them as we passed behind the marina office. I was hopeful that because they couldn’t see us or immediately follow along, we wouldn’t have to deal with them all.
When I reached water shallow enough to stand I did so and stood shivering waist deep in the lake while I watched for any danger close by. Gregg climbed to his feet behind me and cautiously approached, his teeth chattering as he rubbed at his arms.
“I lost the gun.” He said.
“That’ll happen more often than you think.” I said absently as I scanned the trees and hedges that bordered the road.
“See anything?”
“No.”
I waded from the lake and up a short slope to the pavement that ran alongside the road. In the grassy area that sat on the other side of the road, a few zombies wandered aimlessly but were far enough away not to have noticed us.
The road itself had a number of cars, vans and the like on its surface. All along the line of vehicles were smashed windows, the glass scattered around and dark stains that even the rain couldn’t wash away and far too many undead for my liking.
“Keep low.” I hissed to Gregg as I led the way along the line of cars.
My back was soon aching with the all too familiar strain of walking while crouched low and I welcomed the distraction from the cold that was only amplified as the freezing wind hit me.
Killing the Dead (Books 4-6) Page 18
