Safety Lost (Killing the Dead Book 3) (24 page)

We ran. Through the camp and down the short lane to the lake. The zombies moaned their outrage as they saw us flee and renewed their efforts at climbing over the barricade. The trees that lined the route seemed more menacing as we passed. We were all too aware of what could be waiting within.

I ran into the back of a man who stopped abruptly just before the shore and I swore loudly.

“What are you doing?” I demanded and he just pointed.

His reason for stopping became clear as I followed his arm. The rowboat was floating off shore and nine or ten zombies were ripping apart the remains of the people who had been trying to reach it. The boat beyond still floated at anchor.

“Oh god!” Lily muttered as she stopped beside me.

“Kill them!” called Pat and an angry roar rose from the men and women around me. They rushed forward with weapons raised high and struck out at the undead creatures.

I joined in the slaughter and happily stabbed with my boat hook. In minutes they were all dead.

“What now?” Someone asked.

“We swim to the boat.” Lily said as she cast aside her axe and marched into the water.

The moans of the undead were coming closer and with a deep sigh I dropped the boat hook and followed her.

In more civilized times the swim wouldn’t have been difficult. In freezing water during a rough storm after fighting the undead and having had limited rations for weeks, the swim was the hardest thing I had ever done.

More than one person didn’t make it, their energy gave out or they succumbed to the cold. At least two people tried to get to the row boat only to find the oars had floated away.

Eventually I reached the boat and had to wait, trying to stay afloat as the people onboard did their best to help pull everyone out of the water.

I saw Lily pulled aboard and felt a release of tension that I hadn’t realised I was holding. A glance back to shore revealed a growing number of undead gathering. A few had even stepped into the water a few paces as they stared hungrily at us.

An arm reached down and grasped my arm and I reached eagerly for the hatch. I was grateful for the help as I was hauled inside as I wasn’t quite sure whether I would have been able to climb in myself.

The boat was filling with people. Blankets were passed to those of us who had been in the water and we were instructed to strip down and get out of the sodden clothes. I did so happily and wrapped the blanket around myself as I shivered.

Lily was sitting towards the back of the cabin and smiled invitingly as I took a seat beside her. She was shaking with the cold and I was happy for her to press herself against me to share what body heat we could.

“How many survived do you think?” I asked through chattering teeth.

“Far too few” she replied.

“Most of the kids did at least” I said as I spotted Emma and Julie as they helped hand out spare blankets. I smiled gratefully and genuinely as they passed an extra one to me and I covered both myself and Lily with it.

“Pat and Gregg did too, I haven’t seen Cass yet.”

“She is just climbing in now” I said as I saw her pulled through the hatch. She looked more angry that cold.

“That’s something at least” she said, “I’m even glad Rachel survived. I’m so tired of people dying.”

“Rachel survived?” I asked with interest. I was pleasantly surprised as I had wanted to kill her myself for quite a while.

“Yeah, that Candice and Beth too.”

“Beth is here?” I asked, “You’re sure?”

“Yeah I saw her with Rachel. She seemed ok if a little bit shaken.” She said as she yawned. “I’m glad, perhaps with those men gone she will be ok.”

“Perhaps.” I agreed as I looked around the cabin for her. I finally spied her wrapped in a blanket beside Candice. She looked a little ill and I wondered how long it would be for the infection to take her.

I reached down and picked up my knife from the pile of clothes on the floor. It occurred to me that I would have need of it sooner than I had expected.

Lily yawned again and pressed herself closer to me. I kept a careful watch on Beth. I couldn’t do much until she turned so until then I could sit and enjoy the closeness of the person beside me. We were alive and relatively safe for the moment. I smiled. For a little while at least I could relax.

Killing the Dead will continue in Book 4.

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