The Undead Day Fifteen
Page 34
Thirty-Three
She holds him close. Her arms wrapped protectively round his neck as she keeps his head pressed to her chest. Her own tears of sadness roll freely down her cheeks as she feels Howie sobbing with a harshness she never thought possible. That he clings so tight shows her the man she loves is still inside.
He reaches for Dave, a subconscious act to re-assure himself that Dave is close. Dave is always close. Lani looks over Howie’s head at the small man, both hating him more than she has ever hated anyone, but also loving his dedication and knowing that nothing could ever hurt Howie as long as Dave was drawing breath.
Clarence finally gets through the hole, his big hands torn and bleeding from having to wrench plaster and bricks away to make a gap big enough. As he runs towards Howie, intent on taking him down from behind, Dave crosses the ground and Clarence watches the most tender, gentle take-down he has ever seen as Dave sweeps Howie’s legs and deftly plucks the pistol from his grip. Howie goes down and the look of pain on Dave’s face tells Clarence the danger is over. So Clarence drops to his knees and stretches those huge arms round to envelope them all, his group, his team and he holds them close. Howie reaches a hand out and grips Clarence’s wrist as the big man lets his own tears break free.
Blowers, on seeing the seniors swept up, takes command. Sliding effortlessly into his role as corporal he orders the rest into position.
They all feel it. Roy, so new to the group and so amazed at the carnage erupting around him suddenly feels that tremendous pulse of electricity ebb as Howie goes down. The leader has fallen, the leader needs protecting. He moves into position, taking a flank to cover with his bow ready and his deadly eyes fixed on the jostling and panicking crowd. Paula moves through them with Nick, pistols up and aimed, they pluck sticks and knives from trembling hands to throw them safely aside, both of them giving clear yet confident commands with such a sense of purpose and authority that they soon manage to settle the wild energy of those attacked.
As Howie falls, so the team take the strain and gather close together to stare into the darkness of the night.
Thirty-Four
The bay sweeps round, longer and deeper than it was. The reclamation of land during the storm has made it grander and far more pleasurable to the eye.
In the distance a dark building juts up into the night sky. Lights flicker and twinkle here and there, ones and twos then more until the fort is illuminated and stands bright and real in the ruined landscape.
There’s people within that fort. People who have survived and now work tirelessly under the watchful eye of a young Polish woman and a young black man.
The only light to see. The only sign of humanity in a night lit only by the moon and stars.
‘It’s beautiful.’
‘If you like that kind of thing.’
‘I do.’
‘Good and er…well far be it from me to pass comment but, well, it’s very nice to finally see you up and about. Really I was very fretful at the amount of time you stayed locked away in that room and I truly did not know what to do.’
‘I’m fine now.’
‘Well that’s good, and you look better, far better. More colour in your cheeks…which is strange considering what we are…’
‘I feel better…calmer…’
‘Calm is good! Very good. We like calm…we like calm and peace…yes, calm and peace, far underrated in my opinion…what we need is a long period of calm and peace.’
‘He’s coming.’
‘Who is? Oh no…please not that again! Please…we need calm and peace, lots of calm and peace…In fact I was just thinking earlier that perhaps we could move away from this wretched area. Find a lovely little cottage somewhere er…calm and peaceful, yes…that’s what we shall do.’
‘He’s coming, he’ll be here soon.’
‘Right. I see. And er, if I may be so bold…you know this how?’
‘I know.’
‘You know. Right, yes…you know do you? I worry, oh you know how I worry and I fret, yes I worry and I fret and I cannot stand to see you so upset and really, really I think we should just go far far away from here. I mean…you’ve been locked in that room for days now, actual days of being stuck in a room with me worrying and fretting all day and all night. Not a word from you, nothing other than hearing you crying and weeping and what could I do? Nothing. I couldn’t do anything.’
‘You’d worry no matter what.’
‘Yes, yes you are right. I must confess that I am predisposed to be of a worrying nature but really, someone has to worry about you.’
‘I’m fine now.’
‘Fine she says, fine she says! I don’t think you are fine, yes you look fine, you look very fine and oh gosh don’t look at me like that, I did not mean it in any manner of being inappropriate I merely meant that you look well, and healthy. Yes! Well and healthy.’
‘Reggie, you are funny.’
‘Marcy, my name is Reginald and I am not funny and really, really we should go, go far away.’
‘No. He’s coming, Reggie. He’s coming and we’re waiting.’
‘Oh dear…oh dear oh dear…this won’t end well, mark my words…’
A message from the author.
Thank you so very much because if you have just finished this book then it means you have read all previous books in the series too.
I am honoured and deeply touched to have such a strong and loyal readership that take as much pleasure in reading this series, as I do writing it.
Despite having had tens of thousands of downloads, topping the charts on Amazon and winning awards, this series is still yet to be taken seriously by literary agents in my ever wishful hope to get these works published and onto mainstream shelves, so if you know any literary agents – please give ‘em a shove in my direction! Or just leave a nice review…
As ever, your feedback is valued and I read every single email and message that comes through to me.
This series is fast moving in terms of writing and I am always open for suggestions for scenes, story ideas or even characters or types of characters you would like to see. Where do you want to go with Howie and his team on their amazing adventures?
Those of you who follow me on Facebook and have seen some of the conversation will know there are a few scenes within Day Fifteen that were directly influenced by the readers (Bex, Pauline, Angela, Fe, Marshall, Jonathon, Peter, Tara, John, Rachael, Joanna, Wes, Warren, Natalie, Sharon, Sarah, Frenchie, Will…and many more).
Check my website for more details of future releases and my ever growing section of Free short Stories provided by some fantastic authors.
Take care
RR Haywood
June 2014
Table of Contents
Copyright
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-One
Twenty-Two
Twenty-Three
Twenty-Four
Twenty-Five
Twenty-Six
Twenty-Seven
Twenty-Eight
Twenty-Nine
Thirty
Thirty-One
Thirty-Two
Thirty-Three
Thirty-Four
A message from the author.
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