All eyes turned to her expectantly and Evie smiled in such a way that it was difficult not to respond in kind.
“Thank you,” she said, stepping forward towards the polished wooden table in the centre of the room. “As some of you may know, I have been acting as the intermediary between the council members and the science teams.”
A thankless task, I was sure, but one that was necessary. Since the brutal killing of Vanessa, those remaining scientists had closed ranks and grown bullish when it came to listening to the council. They, rightly so, blamed the government of the island for sending her to her death.
Blamed me too, equally rightly for I had been the one to give the damned order.
“The initial results from their testing of both the vaccine and the viral agent are promising. They need to continue their research to be sure, but early results have them optimistic that both will do as expected.”
An audible sigh escaped nearly everyone in the room. It was what we had been waiting for all these long years. A vaccine that would save us from becoming a zombie after we died. It was everything we had been hoping for.
“We can kill the parasite then?” Isaac asked, and Evie turned her smile fully towards him, raising crimson in his cheeks.
“Yes. Provided we can find a means of injecting the viral agent into the main mass of the creature, we can kill it.”
“Ryan had a stick.”
Dumbfounded looks accompanied the gazes that were sent Two’s way at her comment and I forced back a smile.
“Yes, the metal ‘stick’ that he had injected the viral agent into the body. But, to use it, he had to get close and that seems impossible with the parasite in Liverpool.”
“Not for him.”
“Your confidence in him is endearing,” Evie said, smile slipping a little. “However, we could not risk such a foolhardy attempt. We need a safer way to accomplish the task.”
“Perhaps,” Cass began before Two could reply. “We should contact Eunice.”
“They created the damned things!” Isaac snapped back. “Why the hell would we tell them we have a way to kill their bloody creations?”
“Because we are building a new world,” I said, voice cool. “One where we can’t afford to keep secrets from one another.”
“It is worth asking,” Evie agreed. “They will surely have ideas of ways we could use the viral agent against the parasites. They need a way to kill them too.”
“Reach out to them,” I told Cass. “See what information you can get from them. If they seem open to sharing, we can bring them in on this.”
“Do it quick,” Charlie said. “Won’t be long before those long limbs are at our door.”
A sobering reminder and I gave a curt nod to Evie to continue.
“My brother's return has caused a bit of controversy on the island.”
“When does he not cause that?” Charlie asked, laughing loudly. “Dude does nothing but create chaos for everyone around him.”
“Indeed. However, this time it has some particularly distressing results.”
“How so?” Cass asked, lifting one brow in query.
“More people are converting,” Evie said with a heavy sigh and we all looked at Samuel who had yet to speak other than to rebuke Isaac.
“All are welcome to join the fight against the darkness.”
Not the most helpful response, I had to admit.
“They aren’t just converting to his followers.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“They’re following you too,” Evie said, voice soothing in that way she used when discussing particularly troubling subjects.
“Why me? What the hell have I done?”
“You are the Lady,” Samuel intoned, not moving, not even a twitch of an eye towards me as he held himself rigid. “Where there is death, so too must there be life for one cannot exist without the other. He is death, and you are the life that will bloom from the blood-soaked ground that he leaves in his wake.”
Nice.
“Great. Just what I bloody well need.”
“What are these converts doing?” Cass asked, offering me a supportive smile.
“Well,” Evie said, huffing and spreading her hands wide. “It’s still early days but where Ryan’s followers wear black, yours wear white.”
“Typical.”
“They also swear to do no harm that can be avoided. They swear to nurture plants, animals and even people.”
“Definitely the opposite of your guys,” Charlie said to Samuel.
“Okay, not a lot I can do about that now,” I said, shaking my head at the very notion. “We will need to discuss a way to gently persuade people not to do this though.”
“We’ll talk later,” Evie assured me.
“Anything else from home?” Cass asked and when Evie shook her head, she looked at the others. “Isaac, you have concerns?”
“Aye, I do.” He waved at the computer where Charlie sat. “Two of my lads haven’t come back.”
“Come back from where?” That was concerning for sure, and it should have been brought up immediately. “How long have they been missing?”
“Nothing to worry about,” Isaac said. “Lazy buggers the both of them. It’s why I had them out in the hills to the south. Scouting out some useful sites.” He scratched at his beard as he thought. “Six hours overdue now, so nothing to say they haven’t just got lost or found something to distract them.”
“Like what?” Two asked, tilting her head and looking at the big man with what I can only describe as an avid curiosity.
“Booze, for one,” he replied, returning her look. “They find a bottle or two of the good stuff and they’ll be sleeping it off for a while.”
“Even so, send out patrols,” I said. “The Jackals weren’t seen at the battle and there’s still the Riders out there.”
At mention of them, Two’s cheeks heated, and her sullen frown became a glare. Ryan had told me some of the abuse she had suffered beneath the Rider’s brutal hands, and I could well understand her anger.
If the other women of her group were anything like her, then Ryan had named them well.
“What is the update on those?” I asked, and it was Charlie who answered.
“The Riders high tailed it back to their own territory to lick their wounds. I lost them long before they reached Birmingham, the drones just don’t have enough battery life.”
A common complaint from her and one I couldn’t solve.
“Bit of radio chatter we’ve picked up suggests they are collecting themselves and looking to secure their borders. No one has seen the Jackals, though there’s talk of large groups being seen moving towards Birmingham.”
“The Jackals?” Cass asked, and Charlie shook her head.
“Nah, other groups from the south and east.”
“Maybe moving in on the Rider’s territory,” Isaac suggested. “Smart thing to do while they’re weak.”
“Could be,” I agreed, though I didn’t believe it. The cold pit in my stomach was enough to tell me that they were a threat I couldn’t ignore. “Anything else?”
“No.”
“Then increase patrols. I want more coverage of the area around the village. We won’t be caught by a surprise attack.”
“I have some suggestions for the defences,” Isaac said.
“Good. Draw up a proposal and we can go over it. How’s your team?”
“As ready as they will ever be.”
“If we can’t find another way to get the viral agent into the parasite, we will need to fall back on the original plan.”
“They’ll be ready.”
I hoped so. I really did.
Chapter 7
Rain swept over Mostyn like the tears of some great deity, weeping for what had happened to the world and what was yet to come. A sombre thought and one I found solace in, as I leant against the window frame and watched the rain wash away any hope of leaving the house.
Laughter ran
g from the hallway as Gabriel and Pat chased one another, playing some inane game for which there seemed to be few rules, if any. Angelina, my dark souled, daughter, sat on the heavy rug before the fire, her book tilted to catch the light of the flickering flames as she leant back against a sleeping Jinx and read quietly.
Two weeks had passed since my return and already I could feel that urge, that itch beneath my skin that could never be scratched, the desire to kill. I lay in the bed at night, eyes wide open as I stared into the darkness, mind far away as I re-lived all those wonderful murders I had committed.
Lily would stir, occasionally turning to throw an arm over me, pulling herself closer to me. She had no trouble sleeping and was content to share her bed with me as she drifted off to sleep, safe in the knowledge that I was trapped in that tiresome village by my desire to make her happy.
It was cloying and I often wondered if it was panic that I felt clawing at my throat, the urge to gasp and gulp down large breaths of air as I struggled to breathe. The air, filling my lungs as I suffocated from the weight of my decision to stay.
I needed to kill.
Like that first pathetic man I had ever killed. I was a junkie. Where he was addicted to a brown powder he injected into his veins, I was addicted to death. To murder. I wanted to kill, no, I needed to kill.
The seconds of each day passed at an agonizing pace as I pretended to listen to the excited babble of my children as they tried to get to know me. It would be a disappointment to them should they ever manage such a thing, I was sure.
It didn’t help, being cooped up in the property and surrounding grounds. As spacious as they might be, I was as trapped there as I had been in the bunker. But to leave would mean a crowd of curious people, devoted fools following in my wake, hoping to find some way to please me when the only true way to do that would be to die beneath my blade.
If I left, I wasn’t sure I would be able to keep from killing someone.
My soft sigh fogged the glass of the window and I leant in, my forehead pressing against the cold glass. The season was passing, and before too long winter would be upon the world. The chance of leaving would drop even further, and I would be left, trapped, with my family and my burning desire to kill.
I couldn’t help but wonder if I had made the right choice.
“That’s not the picture of a happy man.”
Evelyn, her lips pursed, and head tilted to one side, stood a little way to my left with a gently steaming cup held steady with both hands before her. I hadn’t heard her approach, which was a problem.
“What do you want?”
“Most people would offer a greeting, perhaps even a cheerful one when their much-loved sister joined them.”
“Much-loved?”
“A girl can hope.”
Her smile seemed strained, and I briefly wondered why, before dismissing the thought with an irritated mental shrug, when I realised, I didn’t care.
I waited in silence, enjoying the cold of the glass pane against my skin, knowing that she would speak again. There was a reason for her to approach me, and I had little interest in knowing it, yet knew she wouldn’t leave without sharing that reason with me.
“How are you doing?”
The tone of voice was pure psychiatrist, and I had heard it often enough over the years as she helped me fit in with the world. Clearly, she had done a decent enough job that I could live on my own, hold down worthwhile employment and even date sporadically without raising concern. Even so, I no longer had need of such a façade.
“I’m fine.” Though admittedly I couldn’t hide the brief exasperated sigh as I said that, and I turned my head to squint at her from beneath furrowed brow. “Just tell me what you want to tell me and leave me in peace.”
“So much for thinking you’d changed,” she replied with a calmness that set alarm bells ringing in my skull. “Or perhaps it is just the pressure you are under that is causing you to be so snappish.”
“Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yes, I think you do.” Her smile widened, the corners of her lips lifting as something like amusement sparked in her eyes. Which only soured my mood further. “Gregg told me about what happened between you.”
I would need to talk to him about that. He seemed determined to create trouble for me with the various people in my life. Intentional or not, I had no desire to constantly defend my actions to anyone.
“What of it?”
“Would you like to talk about it?”
“No.”
Her laughter seemed genuine and she shook her head before sipping at her drink.
“I didn’t think you would but thought it worth asking.” She paused, eyes meeting mine for an instant before darting away. Then, far too casually, she said, “I can tell you my thoughts anyway if you would like.”
Of course, she could. I turned my face away, staring back through the window at the rain falling beyond.
“Do as you please.”
Evelyn didn’t immediately begin to speak, and I could practically smell the fear that flushed her skin and caused her to clamp her hands firmly around the mug, as though to stop them shaking.
Evidently, she did not expect me to like what she was about to say.
“Do you remember when you were little?”
All too well.
“Yes.”
“How I noticed the differences in you and how I tried to help you to fit in.”
Without her help and advice, I would likely have been caught or at the very least, I would have been faced with suspicion everywhere I went. Even so, I didn’t answer, just turned to look at her once more.
“I was wrong.”
Well, that did surprise me.
“You were?” Did she mean by helping me avoid being placed in an institution the first time I started killing small animals or when I lashed out due to lack of control? “Why?”
“Because I tried to show you how to hide the kind of person you were, rather than actually helping you learn to exist with that part of yourself. Perhaps, if I had known better, you would not now be struggling so much to reconcile those two parts of yourself.”
Perhaps that was true, but what did it matter? I couldn’t change the past and I couldn’t change who I was, no matter how hard I tried. It didn’t seem to be in me to put aside the killer and I knew that eventually, Lily would realise that, and she would send me away.
All I could do then was try to hold the killer back as long as possible and spend what time I could with her and my children. Which is when I glanced back to my daughter and saw clearly the path that she would have to walk in the future, a path too much like my own.
“I can help her,” Evelyn said. “If you’ll let me. Maybe help you too.”
“Talking won’t do much for me,” I said with a sneer I didn’t care enough to hide. “But it might help her learn to live with the opposites of her nature.”
“As for Lily…”
“What about her?”
“She’s terrified of you dying, of one day you leaving and not coming back.”
“I know that, why do you think I agreed to stay?”
“No.” My sister took a step towards me, voice dropping low as she cast a furtive glance at the children as though to ensure they wouldn’t overhear. “When we thought you dead, it destroyed her. She tried, God knows she tried, but it was a slow death for her.”
She paused, as though wondering whether to continue, and she bit down on her lip before drawing a deep breath.
“In all the years since, she mourned you. She couldn’t move on and even though we tried to have her try to live her life fully, she couldn’t. In all that time, she went on one date, and didn’t take it any further because she hadn’t stopped loving you.”
I didn’t need to see my brow furrow as I tried to understand her point.
“That is hardly my fault.”
“No.” Evelyn’s smile was full of sorrow, and perhaps regret. I couldn’t really b
e sure. “But for whatever reason, she has fallen deeply in love with you, and I don’t believe that she could survive losing you again.”
“I am her weakness,” I said, thoughts darting. “She would be better, then, without me.”
“Good lord, no!” Evelyn snapped. “Neither of you seem to be able to fully function without the other. You are, for some bizarre reason, incredibly well suited to one another. You both make one another better.”
“If anything,” she continued. “You are her strength, and she is yours.”
“Mine?” That was utterly ridiculous.
“Yes.” She punctuated her reply with a jerk of her head as she pulled back to stare down her nose at me, anger flashing. “I know what you did out there, and in the bunker. You were a monster!”
“I was.”
No need to argue the point, I knew what I was.
“When you are with her, the killer inside of you is restrained, and you are almost human. More so than I have ever known you to be. She makes you a better man.”
“Then you are saying that I should stay?”
“No.” She rolled her eyes as she shook her head. “I am saying that either of you suppressing part of who you are will make you both weaker. You need to work together.”
Which made a kind of sense to me and was pretty much the same thing that Gregg had told me just before I stabbed him in a moment of blind fury.
“Then what can I do?”
“You need to stop hiding away in here, first of all.”
“I’m not hiding!” I couldn’t help the snappish tone and I grimaced, knowing that my reflexive denial was a lie. “Okay, maybe I am.”
“You screwed up when you let that cult form around you and now you have to deal with the consequences before it gets out of hand. Those women you brought back are getting antsy and Isaac is walking around like a bear with a sore head.”
“What has that to do with me?”
“Oh!” She was back to chewing her lip and she glanced quickly away before adding, “you should talk with him.”
I had no idea why, but I was willing to try. Besides, there was only so much boredom I could take and if I was lucky, I might get the chance to kill someone.
Killing The Dead | Book 23 | Come The End Page 5
