Devouring The Dead (Book 2): Nemesis (9 page)

“Yep
we sure did,” said Jackson. “We worked together. Well sort of. Tom and Caterina were in the same office as me, Christina and Jessica were in the same building. For a few days, we were trapped there in the city with a lot of our other colleagues. The city was overrun, that’s true, but we managed to escape. None of our other colleagues did. We met Rosa on the way and Harry here we met at the airport. His son, Benzo, was with us, but he didn’t make it either. We lost a lot of good friends, good people, to this thing.”

“I’m sorry,” said Heidi. “So you got to an airport? How come you didn’t get away, get out of here?”

“We were too late,” said Tom. “By the time we’d managed to get through the city, England was quarantined. There was no rescue or help waiting for us. We realised we were on our own and had to make our own way out. At that point, we didn’t quite realise how bad this infection had gotten. We figured we would head for France, use the tunnel you know? We couldn’t fly a plane or sail a boat, none of us knew how. So we thought we’d leave all this shit behind and get to France.”

“That’s how we met Laurent,” said Jackson.

“What these guys didn’t know was that I was doing the same thing,” Laurent said quietly. “Paris was hit by the infection too. Hell, the whole of France was. Is. I was an engineer on the tunnel trains and me and a friend decided to get out. It wasn’t hard. There was a few of us to begin with. When it all kicked off, we couldn’t get back to our homes, so we stayed at work. There was a workshop and some small warehouses that were inside the tunnel perimeter so they were well protected. There was a tall fence running around it, designed to stop illegal immigrants from getting onto the trains into England. It turned out to be quite effective at stopping the zombies too.

“
Anyway, we heard sporadic reports of what was happening in Paris and then the news just died out. The television, the radio, the phones; everything stopped working. The land outside the working yard was flat and we could see them. The dead were everywhere. I could not believe it to start with. There were women and infants. Some really young infants, just babies, you know? I can see their faces now, pressed up against the fence. My God, it was terrible.

“
After, I think five or six days, we began to run out of food. There was a canteen at work, but it was small. I managed to keep in contact with my wife for a while. She was at home, thankfully. I implored her to stay there, and stay hidden, but…

“
Me and two of my colleagues decided to try our luck in England. Without any news, we weren’t sure if the virus had spread there, but there seemed no point in staying. We would just starve to death. We knew how to drive the trains, and the power lines were still operating. We didn’t know for how long, so we decided to leave. I told my wife to come with us. I told her to drive to work and I would get her in somehow. My God, I was an idiot. She made it to my depot, but there were so many...so many.

“I don’t know what happened to my friends I left behind. If they didn’t starve to
death, then they would have had to go outside to find food. I don’t think they would get very far. I was travelling with Pierre and Patrice. They were good men. We managed to get the train through the tunnel okay. Officially, it was sealed off. The government ordered it closed as soon as the trouble started. In reality, it was just a few empty carriages blocking the entrance. We shunted them out of the way and hoped we would get out the other end. The tunnel was deserted, and we found nothing stopping us once we got to England. We were through in a couple of hours and everything looked fine. The fields looked so green I was sure we were safe. Pierre kept shouting, ‘We’ve made it!’ I didn’t feel like celebrating with him, not with how I left my wife. It was my fault she died. I should have told her to stay where she was. If she had…

“Anyway, we
never made it to London. When the train was approaching Ebbsfleet, we slowed down and thought we would get off and look for help. We pulled into the station, and I don’t know, something didn’t seem quite right. It was deserted. It was the middle of the day, so I thought there would be someone around, even if it was just the station manager or someone. We got off and began wandering around the station, but there was not a soul anywhere. The waiting room, café, car park, and the road to the station were all empty. Pierre said we should carry on into London, because there was no way London would be deserted too. We were about to leave when Patrice suddenly saw them. There was a young couple walking down the road toward us. We were so relieved, I can’t begin to tell you.

“Patrice ran up to meet them
, but...you can guess they were not so friendly. They pounced on him and he would’ve been dead quite quickly I think. Me and Pierre turned and ran. We had seen the infection in France and recognised it straight away. I was so shocked and Pierre too. He was so quiet. We made it back onto the train and were about to pull away when we saw Tom and Harry. They were walking down the tracks toward us, rifles in front of them and they were shouting at us. Inside the train, we couldn’t hear them or what they were saying, so we thought they were going to shoot us.

“We jumped out of the
cab, and well, Tom and Harry dragged us away into a sidecar. There we met the others and we waited until the zombies, the two who had killed Patrice, moved on. We waited for a few hours and finally it was quiet enough for us to leave. We talked and they told me what had happened to England. That’s how I ended up with them. Tom was taking everyone to Paris, but they did not get very far.”

“Holy
smoke and where is Pierre? Is he upstairs?” Heidi asked.

“Non. He is dead too.
Unfortunately, he didn’t make it with me. We have been on the road for weeks, Heidi. He got bitten. We were rushing from one place to the next and we got sloppy. Once you get the infection, you’re dead. There was nothing we could do for him.”

The room was silent and Heidi became aware that her parents had stopped whispering. She knew they were still awake and must be listening to the story. Moira had heard it before
, but put her book down all the same.

Tom knew how hard it was for Laurent to talk about his wife. He took up the story, letting Laurent gather himself.
“It was odd at first, wandering around other people’s houses, expecting them to suddenly appear and shout at you. Tell you to get out before they call the police. It was probably a week before I got used to it. I guess you just adapt, change to what the situation demands. I guess you just stop thinking about it in the end.

“We didn’t know what to do. Our plan had been to get to France
. Laurent’s was to get to England. We scuttled around from house to house, living off whatever we could find, hiding from the zombies, moving at dawn or dusk only, staying out of sight. It was draining.

“I got a cold and it spread
around to everyone pretty quickly. We weren’t eating properly so our immune system was weak. We started looking for vitamins then, medicine, anything that would help us survive. We needed clean clothes, rest, decent food and most of all, clean water.

“
The first time I put a clean shirt on, I turned around only to see a photo of the man who used to wear it. I felt shameful, stealing a dead man’s clothes. That was a while ago now, mind you. I have no such qualms now. It’s all about surviving. The things that have been left behind by the dead, the things that they used to live with, their vehicles, their clothes, their stocks of food and shelter is what we use, what we have to do now to live. We have no choice but to take them, grab every little thing we can and devour it. If we don’t, we’ll soon be infected, or end up as zombies.

“
We came across an army barricade, I forget where. It was some small satellite town south of London, and there was a good stock of weapons and medicine. Whilst we grabbed it, Harry tried the radio. One of the trucks had an impressive set up; transponders, receivers, freaking digital everything. Harry had the best idea out of any of us how to use it as he was in the force.”

“It was more luck than judgment,” said Harry. “It was way more complicated stuff than I was used to in the force
, but I managed to find a signal. It was a pre-recorded message on loop. We’ve no idea how long it’d been playing or even if it’s still playing now. We couldn’t lug the radio equipment with us as we just didn’t have the means. So I listened to the message a few times and memorised it.

“It was the British Navy. They said a final rescue attempt would be made for any UK citizens still alive
, uninfected, and residing in Britain. All military personnel were ordered to fall back to the nearest retrieval point. Navy ships would be sent to selected places along the UK coastline for extraction: Southampton, Liverpool, Penzance, and Middlesbrough. That was it. Only four rescue points for the whole country.” Harry held up four fingers shaking his head.

“
I guess they didn’t expect to find many still alive. They said avoid major conurbations and cities due to excessive resistance and the unrestrained outbreak of the infection. Any attempts to leave the UK other than on official certified rescue ships will result in death. The UN ordered all infected countries to be quarantined immediately and indefinitely. The message said rumours of an outbreak in the US are
unconfirmed
at this stage. The British government will not confirm any rumours surrounding the death and reanimation of the UN Security Council leader Darren Collins. We repeat, head immediately to your nearest extrapolation point. Naval ships will be in those ports on October first and fifteenth. After this point, Britain, along with many of its allies, will be restricted areas and any attempt to leave will be met with lethal force.”

Heidi’s mind was reeling from all the new information. Her hands were gripping the side of the sofa and she felt cold.
A shiver ran over her and she felt queasy.

“What’s the date today?
It’s...”

“...October thirteenth,” said Tom. He leant forward and took her hand. “Heidi, we are going to try to get out of here and meet that ship. We tried to get to Southampton for the first but it was impossible. There were too many of them. We couldn’t even get close to the city
. The dead were everywhere.” Tom looked over and saw Daniel and Glenda cradled in each other’s arms fast asleep. “Talk to your parents in the morning. Come with us. In two days we could be out of here.”

Heidi looked at Tom and felt worried
, but reassured at the same time. He saved them earlier when she and her parents would surely have died. Should she trust him now? Should she trust all of them?

Heidi nodded. “I can’t believe what is happening. I...I need to
get some rest. Thank you, Tom. Thank you for coming back for us earlier.” She squeezed his hand and was grateful for the darkness covering up her blushes.

Looking dazed, Heidi walked over to her parents and curled up beside her father.
She lifted the blanket and crept in close to his warmth, something she had not done since she was a toddler.

“Let’s all turn in,” said Tom. “We’ll need clear heads in the morning.”

Jackson and Laurent went upstairs and Tom paused at the foot of the stairs. He put his arm on Harry’s shoulder. “You know we have to leave in the morning, right?”

“I know. Those things out there aren’t going to leave. I’d hoped we could stay here for another
day, but it’s not going to work. They’ll get in eventually, they always do.”

“We’re going to have to find someplace else to stay until the ship comes. I don’t want to go to Penzance too early
. It’s highly populated and could be dangerous. We don’t want a repeat of what happened in Southampton. We nearly didn’t get away from there in time.”

Harry nodded. “Let’s get some sleep. Let the storm pass, see what’s what in the morning. We’ll have to find a way out of here then.”

They went upstairs and the house was silent. Moira sat up and peered through the curtains again. Under the moon, rain and wind, the zombies were still there, hundreds of them. She lay down, clutching her book, hoping she would be able to sleep tonight and not suffer the usual nightmares. Reality was scary enough without her terrible dreams of what horror lay in store for them the next morning.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Jessica opened her eyes and realised it was still dark. She didn’t know what had awoken her
. The house was silent and the gale force winds outside seemed to have calmed down. She rolled over underneath the bedcovers and felt a warm spot where Rosa should be.

“Rosa?” Jessica sat upright quickly, fearful that something had happened.

“I’m here.”

Jessica saw Rosa
sitting on a chair by the window. She wore a white t-shirt, one they had found yesterday. It was too big for her, but comfortable to sleep in. Her legs and feet were bare and Jessica guessed what she was doing. It wasn’t unusual for Rosa to wake in the middle of the night.

“I couldn’t sleep. They’re still out there, you know? They’re not going this time.”

“Rosa, come back to bed. You’re not going to solve anything staring out the window at them.” Jessica flung the covers back and felt the cool night air fall over her like a light blanket.

Rosa left the chair and clambered back into bed. Jessica gave her a kiss and took her hand
s. They were cold and Jessica wondered how long Rosa had been sitting there. Her feet felt like ice blocks.

“You’ve got to try to get some sleep. You’ll be exhausted tomorrow if you don’t.”

“I miss them, Jess, I miss my family. I miss normal life. I miss so many things I just can’t switch my brain off. As soon as I fall asleep, I start dreaming about random things: music and bands I used to like, my dog, my mum, my desk at work and the horrible chair I used to sit on. I miss the kids who used to come into the bank and give me a pound to put in their bank accounts to save for a comic. I miss the bakery I used to walk to on the way home and the smell of it. I can smell it now. I used to love getting fresh bread on the way home. I miss Eastenders, going out and getting pissed. I miss my own clothes.”

“When I was a kid, probably seven or eight,” said
Jessica, rubbing some warmth back into Rosa’s hands, “I saw Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory. I used to dream of living on chocolate. Didn’t matter what sort, I loved it all: dark, white, mint, anything. I even used to like those crappy cheap Easter eggs that tasted like shit, the ones that seemed as if they’d never been anywhere near a chocolate factory. Now I hate it. I would love a meal that didn’t involve a chocolate bar, but something green and fresh that had actually grown instead of manufactured, processed and sealed up to preserve it. Mind you, I suppose we’d all be starving right now if man hadn’t made so much processed crap and stuck it in a metal can.

“Rosa, there’s a lot more to
not
miss, than miss. Understand? It’s no good keeping on thinking about all the good things that are gone. Remember the fake plastic smiles you would get every time you walked into some snobby shop or the post office or any place that wanted your money? Remember how
boring
shopping actually was? Remember all that chart music that was so bland and false and utterly pointless that you couldn’t wait for it to end? Remember the soulless towns and vacuous shopping centres, overcrowded trains, expensive bills, fake friendliness that you encountered almost every day when somebody wanted something from you. Remember how much of a waste of time it all was?”

“I suppose so
, but I can’t forget the past and I don’t want to forget my family.”

“You don’t have
to, Rosa, but you do have to move on. You can’t live in constant fear, or wallow in nostalgia. Look at what we’ve got now. There’s a chance we could be out of here in two days. You’ve got a roof over your head, which is a lot more than anyone else in this godforsaken country right now. And you’ve got me.”

Jessica kissed Rosa again and they embraced. Rosa had warmed up and she rubbed her feet up and down Jessica’s smooth legs. Rosa sat up, pushing the duvet off.

“You’re not getting up again, are you?” asked Jessica.

Rosa looked at Jessica and smiled. She pulled the large
t-shirt over her head and threw it on the floor. Jessica could see Rosa’s small breasts and erect nipples. She wanted her so badly.

Rosa lay down and Jessica began kissing her neck. She traced her tongue down to Rosa’s chest and slid over her.

“I love you, Jess,” said Rosa.

“I love you too. Now s
hush,” said Jessica as she continued kissing Rosa.

Rosa propped herself up and looked down as Jessica slid between her legs and continued stroking h
er, kissing her body, her waist and her thighs. Later, only when they were both tired, exhausted from love-making, would they sleep restfully.

* * * *

Lazarus slept little that stormy night. He poured over the notes that Tim had made for him. Lazarus had thought the world was at death’s door. There was no stopping the infection that was for sure. It had toppled governments and dictators far more quickly than any elections or coups ever had. Could it be that there were more survivors than he thought? It made sense in a way. Those at sea, away from land and the spread of infection would be safe. If they stayed away from the land, then they would live for as long as they could eat and drink. If they kept away from Lazarus and the Mount, then there would be no problem. But what if they did not? How did the navy plan to fight back? What if they commandeered his men? What if they wanted to use the Mount as a base? It was in an excellent strategic position, as it had been for centuries. That was exactly why Lazarus had claimed it, just as Henry Pomeroy had claimed it in the fifteenth century. It was surrounded by water which the dead could not cross. Sure, sometimes they got washed up on shore, but they couldn’t swim or even drift with any kind of aim.

The Mount
was close to the mainland, but far enough away so that the dead could not reach them. Even if anyone tried to attack them, they were well defended. Any attacking force would have to climb the steep granite hill to the castle and his men were armed. They had axes, swords, and knives, and they would use them.

Lazarus did not love his father
, but he loved the stories he told him, of Pomeroy in particular. He had held the Mount for weeks on end against thousands of Edward the Fourth’s troops. Literally thousands of soldiers had tried to usurp Henry and gain the Mount, to draw him out. They had laid siege to him and his band of men and he had held out for nearly six months. The odds were against him, but the Mount was special. It held a special power, a strong force that willed men on to defend it. This land, this small yet important granite outcrop of Britain had stood since long before man could even begin to understand its value. It withstood earthquakes, tsunamis, and wars. Lazarus intended to make sure it stood for many more years, with him as its ruler.

If the navy thought they could take it from him they would be forced to think again. They could not fight the infection. How can you kill something that cannot be killed? You can chop off the arm or the leg of a zombie and it will keep coming
. Chop its head off and it will still bite you. No, the navy were misguided. They still thought they were in command. Lazarus was in charge of this piece of England.

He tried sleeping
, but woke constantly. He fidgeted and tossed and turned until, unable to waste any more time, he got up. The storm had blown itself out and he opened the window from which Keisha had so gracefully ‘fallen’ last night. The sea was calm and the autumn sun was illuminating the Cornish coast, blinking off rooftops and shooing away the last dark rain clouds. Morning was rapidly approaching. The only sound Lazarus could hear was the lapping of the ocean on the rocks below.

He would wake the others and send a group onto the mainland. If they were to defend
themselves, they would need all the ammunition and weapons they could find. If there was to be any kind of siege they would need plenty of food. The navy might try to force them off the Mount. Thankfully, with a fresh spring on the island, water was not an issue he had to deal with. With so many mouths to feed though, he wanted to build up stocks as much as possible. The vegetables and crops they grew were not enough to feed nearly thirty men forever.

There was another issue to act upon
too. If the men knew the navy were just around the corner, waiting in their armoured ships to whisk them away, they might
want
to leave. It would be ridiculous, of course, but they needed telling what to do. If they were allowed to think for themselves, they would all go their own way. They would die out there for that old notion of king and country. What was the point in getting yourself killed over a king who was already dead and a country that was dying? It was better that they stay here and defend the Mount, defend Lazarus. They could build a new empire. They respected him. The men knew he was superior and could ensure their safety. If they left, would they be safe?

Lazarus dressed and decided he would go down and see first what, if anything, Ed had managed to find out overnight. It was imperative that he nipped this in the bud now. He had been foolish last night. He should have made Tim stay on the radio
. Lazarus couldn’t afford too many people finding out about this new development. Perhaps he could use this to his advantage. Tim was going on the scouting party and the mainland was a dangerous place. Accidents happened all the time. With millions of zombies wandering the land freely, who knew what might happen.

Lazarus put his long black coat on and opened the bedroom door. Walker was asleep in the chair outside,
a sheathed sword by his side. The door clicked shut and Walker jumped to his feet.

“Lazarus. Morning, sir. You’re up early today. Anything I can do for you?”
Walker rubbed his face awake.

“
Yes, go down and check on Norm will you. He’s been helping himself to the entertainment lately. He thinks we don’t know about it. Teach him what’s what, will you?”

“Yes sir. Anything else?”

“Yes, I’m sending a scouting party over this morning. When you’re finished with Norm, get it arranged, will you. I want them ready to go at 0700. Get Tim, Honok and Shane and bring them to the back door. I want to speak to them before they go.”

T
hey walked down the grand stairway together saying nothing. Walker continued on down to the cells whilst Lazarus went outside and made his way down the hill to the houses. Each one was quiet, but in a couple of hours, they would be a hive of activity. You had to earn your keep on the Mount and Lazarus made sure they all worked hard. There was plenty of hard labour to be done in repairing the buildings and preparing the land for sowing more seeds and grains. Some of the men would be put on watch, patrolling the castle and the grounds, ensuring there were no uninvited visitors, especially ones with sharp teeth and deadly infections.

Lazarus approached the stone house and opened the door. He didn’t knock or wait for an invitation. This was his kingdom and he
could walk straight into wherever he pleased, whenever he pleased.

Ed jumped up, shocked at the intrusion. Lazarus was pleased to see Ed looked tired. His usual grin was absent and he had dark bags under his eyes. He pulled off a headset and placed it on the desk in front of him by the radio set.

“Ed.”

“Sir.”

“Report?”

“
Yes, I, er, did hear something. Here are the notes I made, mate, I mean
sir
.”

Ed held out a couple of pieces of paper and Lazarus took them without letting his eyes leave Ed. “Tell me what you heard.”

“Well, Tim told me about the British guy, McCulloch. He’s definitely the bloke in charge. HMS Daring he’s on. They’re somewhere out there off the south coast, but he didn’t give specifics. He was talking to the American Captain Samson. McCulloch said they were running low on provisions but had enough for about another week. He said they keep trying to contact command HQ but are getting no response. He thinks they’re all dead. He said they’re going to try to dock in a couple of days and make one last attempt to see if anyone is alive on the mainland. McCulloch said they’ve been sending out an automated message telling any survivors to head to some extraction points. Get this sir, they’re heading for Penzance.”

Lazarus’s eyes bore down into Ed. In the small house his tall figure seemed even larger than he actually was and Ed felt nervous as the imposing Lazarus stood over him. “I wonder what they’re
actually going to do when they get here, Ed. The Daring is a destroyer so it’s not designed for rescue missions, nor is it going to be able to dock at Penzance. The harbour isn’t big enough to cope with it. No, I would think they’re going to come in close and then send out a smaller boat to see what’s going on. It’s probably just a reconnaissance mission to check the lay of the land, so to speak.

“Ed, we must be cautious. This is a time of war you understand. If the navy
is looking for survivors this long after the infection wiped out Britain, then they must be desperate. They need men, supplies, and ammunition. They’re looking to salvage and steal, not help us. Ed, we are going to have to make sure they don’t see us or find our location.”

“I suppose
so, sir,” agreed Ed frowning. “I thought that they would help us though, wouldn’t they? Tim told me all about it. He said he was looking forward to being rescued, that we’d be able to get off this bloody island. They might know of somewhere safe to go, somewhere...”