The Feral didn’t seem to notice the smoke, nor the heat from the flames that had begun to grow in size and fury. Its one eye was fixed on me and as I looked down at the assembled Ferals. They cringed back, away from me as though afraid they were too close to the target of their leader’s fury.
Stall, I thought as I watched it approach and ever more Ferals pushed into the building through the damaged doorway.
“Nice to see you again,” I called to it and waited patiently as the mixture of moans and growls followed the sound of my voice.
The creature opened its mouth and roared again. Silence fell and it moved closer to me. I began to get the impression that it wanted to kill me itself and excitement surged within me.
“I’m not coming down,” I said, not really expecting it to understand my words. “Come up here.”
Whether it understood or not, it realised I wasn’t moving and in a show of intelligence that gave me pause, it pulled itself up to an adjacent stack and rose to its full height as it stared right at me.
“You remember me don’t you.” It growled in response, low and threatening. “Remember how I cut and poked at you. How I starved and caged you in that cellar.”
It shrugged its shoulders and spread wide its fingers, the blackened ends looked far too sharp for my liking.
“Come on then, let’s finish this,” I said and raised my knife in mock salute.
The Feral leader roared once more and leapt from its stack to mine, arms spread wide and claw-like fingers ready to rend my flesh. I stepped forward to meet it.
Chapter 21 – Lily
“So what do we do?” Gregg asked.
I wanted to answer, to be decisive, but I couldn’t. I just didn’t have it in me. My friend was gone and Ryan was missing. Even if he had returned in the middle of the night and found the place surrounded by the undead, he’d have waited and come in as soon as they had gone.
No, it was time to start thinking the worst. Either he was out there, somewhere in the town and unable to get back to us or he was dead. I couldn’t bear to contemplate the latter, so I focused on the former.
“We go look for Ryan,” I said. That’d be a start. After that, we could decide what to do.
“Where would we look?”
“The same place he did. We’ll go to where Jess lost her friend and start there.”
Charlie, back in her chair, looked meaningfully at Cass and then Gregg, before back at me.
“No offence but we’re not quite fit and ready to be searching for anyone.”
“Yeah, but we don’t have a lot of choice do we?”
In the distance, the sound of an engine starting came to me and I chewed absently on my lip. I didn’t want to go outside until they’d gone. Didn’t want them to think I gave a damn about their abandonment, that I was upset. Whether it was true or not.
As it slowly moved away, I crossed to Cass and put one arm around her. She didn’t look my way, just stared down at the pool of blood.
“We’ve gotta go,” I said softly.
“I know,” she replied. “Just give me a minute yeah?”
“Of course.”
With one hand I waved for the rest of them to go outside. Jinx, took one look my way and sat on her haunches, unwilling to leave until I did. It occurred to me that she could be of use in finding him.
“Go find Ryan,” I said as I left Cass where she was for the moment. Jinx tilted her head and looked at me blankly, her tongue hanging out as she panted. “Can you smell him? Go get him?”
Still, no response and I sighed. “Fine, forget it.”
Jinx rose to her feet and wagged her tail once as she looked at me and I didn’t fight the smile that came. I quickly crouched and gave her a hug, appreciating the comfort she gave me when I badly needed it.
“I’m ready,” Cass said and I nodded as I took her hand and led the way to the door.
The rest of the group were waiting outside and I paused in the rain to gather my thoughts. I looked at each of them in turn and realised that no matter what else happened, I was with friends. Even Georgia, though I still needed to have a serious conversation with her and I wasn’t quite ready to let her prepare any food for me.
“Right then, we go down that road,” I said and pointed to the one Jess and Nat had headed down what seemed like an age ago. “Then we can…”
“Why not just go that way?” Zak said and pointed when I looked his way.
“What way… oh.”
A thin plume of smoke was rising from the end of town. A fire and from the looks of it, not a small one. More to the point, if there was a fire in the midst of the last few days near constant rain, then it was caused by people. And, knowing him as I did, if there was some reason to start a fire, then Ryan would be nearby.
“Let’s go,” I said.
There was a sense of urgency to our walk along those empty streets. The falling rain and grey overcast skies matched my mood perfectly and it seemed that of my companions. No one was interested in conversing but instead watched warily for threats as they focused on their own dark moods.
The plume of smoke didn’t dissipate as we walked and instead grew larger, darker and more ominous as it rose up to meet the sky. It seemed full of foreboding as though we were walking towards a new chapter in the endless misery of our lives.
A short time after we’d passed that road where we’d turned off to find the clock tower and the two kids from Silloth, Georgia sped up to walk beside me. She spoke, her lips barely moving and her gaze directed forwards.
“Don’t look now, but we’re being watched,” she said with the barest tilt of her head to the buildings on our left.
“You’re sure?” I asked, trying as best I could to speak from the corner of my mouth without moving my lips.
“Yeah, a man I think. Keep noticing him.”
“A threat?”
“Doesn’t feel like it,” she said and I glanced at her from the corner of my eye. Her lips curved upwards in a smile as she noticed. “I do feel some things you know.”
“I’m sure.”
“What do you wanna do about him?”
“Invite him out.”
She looked my way in irritation as I stopped and turned towards the line of buildings she’d indicated.
“We know you’re there,” I called out. “You can come out. We’re not a threat.”
The others looked at me in surprise. Clearly, they had been as unaware of the threat as I was. Georgia rolled her eyes and stepped back from my side. Likely in case someone attacked, she didn’t want to be in the way.
I waited patiently and tried my best to avoid looking at the smoke plume. If Ryan was in danger, then the wait may be what caused his death. I couldn’t have someone following us though. Some unknown that could well be a danger when we least needed it.
After four minutes of waiting, I was about ready to call out again but didn’t need to. A man stepped out from between two shops a dozen yards distant and stood in the centre of the pavement facing us.
He was broad shouldered with close-cropped hair and an angular jaw. His clothes, while worn, were fairly clean and his face clean shaven. He had an air of competence about him that spoke of military training. That was emphasised by the way he stood, legs apart and hands at his sides, casual as though he knew he was in no danger from us.
“Morning ladies, gents,” he said. I couldn’t place his accent but it wasn’t Scottish.
“Why’ve you been stalking us?” I asked and he smiled as he spread his hands.
“Had to be sure you weren’t a threat.”
He had no visible weapons and that worried me. No one was out and about in the world without any weapons at all. That meant he had either stashed them close by or had friends who had his back.
“And you’ve decided we aren’t which is why you’ve shown yourself?”
“That’d be right ma’am.”
“So what now?” Gregg asked. A touch of
impatience in his voice that barely concealed the pain he was in.
“Now I have an offer,” he said.
“What offer and why now? Because we saw you?” I asked.
“Because your group screwed you over and when you had the chance, you didn’t retaliate,” he said before looking directly at Cass. “I’m sorry for your loss ma’am, if I could have helped, I would have.”
“You saw what happened?”
“Enough of it, heard the rest when you argued this morning. Y’all should keep a little quieter when in dangerous places.”
“You’re American?” I guessed and he nodded as he smiled wide, showing bright white teeth. The sort of white you only got from bleaching the crap out of them.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Look, we’re looking for a friend so we don’t have much time for this,” I said. “I Apologise if this is rude, but please, just cut to the chase.”
He glanced over his shoulder to the smoke plume that was steadily rising and he nodded solemnly.
“If you think that’s where your friend is, then you’ve already lost them.”
“What do you mean?” I asked as I took a step towards him, an involuntary reaction that caused him to take one step back in response.
“That there would be just about where all those nasty critters have their home,” he said. “I’ve seen it from afar, but not risked getting close.”
“Of course it is,” I said with a sigh.
“He’s definitely there then,” Gregg said.
“What’s your offer?” I asked. “Sorry, but we really need to get moving.”
“I’ve been stuck here for quite some time,” he said. “Got a couple of buddies in a place by the coast. You help me get to them, I can arrange a boat ride to wherever you wanna go.”
“You serious?” Charlie asked eagerly.
“That I am miss,” he said with a solemn nod her way.
“Why would you need our help?” I asked, suspicion once again rising. If he was military as I suspected and had been loitering in the town without being noticed, then he certainly wouldn’t need any help from us.
In response, he held up one hand, a gesture for us to stay and waved his other hand at the gap he had stepped out of.
A small girl stepped out, she couldn’t have been more than five or six, but she held a bundle tightly in her arms and didn’t complain or make a sound as she watched us warily. My heart sank as I realised why he needed help and why I wouldn’t be able to say no.
“These are my daughters,” he said. “Bonnie, my eldest and Clara, the baby.”
“Fuck,” Charlie said which received a glare from several of us. “Sorry.”
“How old?” I asked.
“Six and one,” he said and looked directly at me, his eyes no longer as full of confidence as I had originally thought, but instead fear for those he loved. “Can you help us?”
Chapter 22 – Ryan
I hit the ground hard, pain shooting through my shoulder where it hit the solid concrete floor. I waved my knife threateningly at a couple of the Ferals that came close and they backed off. Though, I suspected that was more to do with the growl that issued from their leader.
More of them had crowded into the building and I had the distinct displeasure of knowing that even if I killed the leader. If the smoke or fire didn’t get me first, the rest of the Ferals would tear me apart.
They milled around us in a rough semi-circle, more than I could count. Unperturbed by the smoke or fire, an eagerness on their faces and in their voices as they barely held back from dashing in and ripping me apart.
It was only their leader that managed to keep them in line and much to my dismay, in our little fight, he was winning.
I spat a gobbet of blood onto the concrete as the Feral leader landed a few feet away from me. The smell of fresh blood was too much for one of the Ferals. It leapt forward, hands raised with claw-like fingers spread wide, ready to tear at my skin. It didn’t get far.
One swipe of the Feral leader's hand tore off its jaw. It stepped in close and sank its teeth into the Ferals neck, shaking its own head back and forth as foul black blood sprayed into the air and in moments, the dumb creatures head followed.
The Feral leader tossed the head into the crowd where a couple of its minions fought over it. Several others pulled the headless body back into the crowd and a feeding frenzy ensued.
“Thanks,” I said as I pushed myself to my feet. I actually meant it. I had neither the energy nor the strength to try and kill another Feral while focusing on the leader.
It didn’t respond, of course, just circled me in a half crouch, arms out like a sumo wrestler. I turned with it, knife held ready and wondered how many more strikes I could take.
I already bled from a gash on my cheek, a deep cut in my outer thigh that would need stitching and only my thick jacket had saved me from being disembowelled. I was beginning to suspect that it would actually kill me.
An arm lashed out and I hopped back, my own blade striking in retaliation and I scored a deep wound along its wrist. Not enough to hinder it, unfortunately, but enough to let it know I meant business.
It struck again and pain flared, my blood flowing over the hand the held the knife and a new gouge along the back of it. I swore briefly beneath my breath and kept turning with it.
The fire was burning furiously. The flames reaching the ceiling over by the front door, while several of the nearby stacks were already alight. It wouldn’t be long before it reached me and that wasn’t the kind of death I wanted.
I dodged its lunge, sidestepped a swipe and sank my knife into its back as I went past. My joy was short lived as it pulled away from me, the knife still embedded in its flesh, leaving me defenceless.
“Crap,” I said and could swear that it grinned at me.
My lungs burned with the smoke and I ducked and rolled to the side to avoid its grasping claws and rolled straight into the wall of Ferals. I covered my face with my arms as several claw-like hands slashed at me by the creatures, unable to help themselves.
The Feral leader leapt on them and more black blood flowed as it roared and they backed away. Several sporting vicious wounds. I climbed to my feet as it was busy chastising them and stumbled back to the centre of the cleared space.
An idea formed as the leader turned back towards me and if it worked, I could make it to the door. Of course, if it didn’t, then I’d be dead and probably reanimated soon after. Either way, I had little choice.
It roared again and ran at me, arms swiping out as it aimed for my eyes. I dropped to a crouch and caught it with my shoulder as it ran past, knocking it sideways to sprawl onto the ground. That was all the opening I needed.
I leapt at the nearest Ferals, diving at their legs and bowling several over. The leader roared its anger and warning as fresh pain swept through me. A couple of the Ferals had struck and I could only hope it wasn’t with their teeth.
Then I was through them as the Feral leader pulled and clawed at the others, trying to get them away from me so that it could kill me itself. I didn’t look back but ducked between two smouldering stacks of lumber and made a run for the side door.
Though I hit the door at full speed, it refused to open and the realisation came that despite the plans I’d made, I’d not actually checked that the door was unlocked. I could only blame the inattention to detail on the fall from the roof as I ducked between another pile of lumber as the Feral leader rushed towards me.
I was pretty screwed. I’d lost my knife, the side door was locked and the front door a burning ruin amidst a conflagration that was swiftly moving my way. It was just a case of which would get me first. The Ferals or the flames. Neither one seemed appealing.
A hand swiped at me as I pushed between two towering stacks and then I was out of reach of the arm. It couldn’t quite get to me and I realised I had one option left. I braced my legs against the stack before me and pressed my
back against the one behind.
With the last strength I had to give, I pushed. It barely moved as sweat streaked down my face. I kept pushing as more growls sounded close by. I thought of the dying at the hands of the undead and put everything I had into one last push.
The stack shifted, then toppled. The heavy lumber on the outer edge falling first, then like dominoes, the rest fell too. A thunderous crash sounded throughout the building and I dropped to the floor, beneath the thick smoke, lungs straining for air.
I could barely see through the smoke as it thickened all around me. The heat, almost more than I could deal with. I crawled over the toppled wood, hands grasping for a safe place to rest as I silently hoped that I wouldn’t accidently drop my fingers into an open maw in the darkness.
A roar sounded again. That time though, full of pain and anger. It roared again closer, as I moved towards where I remembered the door had been and then a flash of light as the door opened. Not much, but enough for me to see my knife sticking out of the back of a Feral trapped beneath the heavy lumber.
Heedless of the danger, I pulled on the knife and crawled closer to the wounded and trapped Feral leader. It twisted its head so that it could just about see me with its one good eye and I grinned as I rammed my blade straight through it.
Chapter 23 – Lily
“Can you see him?” I hissed and Cass shook her head. She pressed one hand to her mouth and coughed as more smoke billowed through the doorway.
Georgia looked back and said, “there’s movement at the far end. If they come this way, we’ll have to run.”
“One more minute,” I said. “Please.”
“Dammit,” she muttered and turned back to keeping watch, her Hori Hori held in her hand.
I coughed at the acrid smoke and tried to see into the building but it was chaos. The heat and smoke billowing out of the doorway was unbearable and I doubted anyone could survive inside it. I had to hope though.
A hand grasped my ankle and I yelled as I swung my club. Bone crunched as I struck the fingers and I heard an all too human yelp of pain.
“Ryan!” I said as I reached down.
Killing the Dead (Book 10): Feral Page 14
