Safety Lost (Killing the Dead Book 3)

  Killing the Dead: Safety Lost

  By Richard Murray

  Copyright 2014 Richard Murray

  All Rights Reserved

  All Characters are a work of Fiction.

  Any resemblance to real persons

  Living or dead is purely coincidental

  Dedication

  This book is dedicated to the person who is always happy to read over my first draft, to help me when I have a problem and has been there since the very beginning. Thank you Mum, this one’s for you.

  Chapter 1

  The freezing water of the river Calder engulfed me and swept me along. I kicked out towards what I hoped would be the surface and burst out of the water gasping for breath. The current wasn’t exceptionally strong and I was able to tread water as I cast about for Lily.

  Moans of outrage and ravenous hunger came from the bridge that was teeming with the undead. A sudden splash came from below the bridge, followed by another and then another, as heavy bodies started falling into the river.

  With a curse I realised how defenceless I would be if something grabbed hold of my leg in the water. I shuddered and looked around for somewhere to climb out of the river.

  Sheer walls rose up to the pavement at either side of the river and though I couldn’t see above, I could certainly hear the zombies as they spilled out along the road as they searched for us. With nothing else to do I began to swim along with the current.

  The river water tasted of mud and something I hoped wasn’t raw sewage and I shied away from any thoughts of what bacteria could be in the water. My ankle was aching and the pain from my shoulder was a worrying reminder that I needed to check how much damage the zombie had made when it had bitten me.

  A short distance from the bridge, the river split into two. I had no idea which branch of the river Lily had taken and from the sound of rushing water, down one of the branches was a waterfall. The river seemed to want to flow down the left hand branching so I followed it along.

  Thick bushes and patches of stinging nettles and weeds lined the banks of the river and I swam slowly, trying as best I could to find a suitable place to climb out of the freezing water. The roar of the waterfall was becoming louder and I realised that I had chosen incorrectly.

  I struck out for the nearest bank and was soon wading in waist deep water through the tangled undergrowth before pulling myself out of the river and onto the banking. I stumbled and almost fell several times as I made my way through the dense bushes, shivering with the cold and barely able to see where I was going.

  A mesh fence attached to the top of a low stone wall soon blocked my way. I could see that beyond the fence was a wide open area of ground covered with gravel and surrounded by several large buildings that looked to be some sort of warehousing.

  With more than a little effort I managed to clamber over the fence, almost falling down the other side. I had to pause a moment to catch my breath and rub my arms fiercely in an attempt to stop them shaking. I couldn’t say if it were from the cold or if the zombies bite had infected me.

  I needed somewhere to rest and recover for at least a short time before attempting to make it back to the clubhouse. I knew I had no chance of finding Lily or even knowing if she had survived and my only hope of meeting up with her was to make it to the clubhouse before the horde of undead arrived. I was in no condition to make the journey though and I had a nasty suspicion that I was on the wrong side of the river.

  It was hard to see in the darkness but I thought I could make out the shape of a large truck by the main entrance to the yard. The smaller building beside it looked to be offices, large windows and a normal front door rather than the big metal roller doors that were on the huge building to my left.

  None of the roller doors were open so I made my way across to the offices. My steps were overly loud as I walked across the loose gravel and I had to force myself to walk slowly so as not to make my presence known to any of the undead who may be nearby.

  The front door to the offices was made of a wooden frame with glass panels set into the top and bottom halves of the door. The glass had a wire mesh running through it so I had no chance of breaking through.

  With a deep sigh and a definite desire to swear quite loudly I leant back against the wall and sank to the ground. I was cold, tired and in need of some light to check my wounds. I had no idea what changing into a zombie would feel like but the last time I had seen Cass she was unconscious and feverish so the simple fact that I was still coherent and conscious gave me some hope that I wasn’t infected.

  I was feeling fairly miserable and sorry for myself when the door I was sat beside opened and an unshaven face appeared above me.

  “Quick, get in before they notice you.” The stranger hissed as he glanced furtively about.

  My options were limited and I scrambled to my feet and stepped through the doorway. The stranger closed the door quietly behind me and turned a key in the door.

  “Follow me” he instructed before switching on a small pen light that provided a tight beam of illumination in a very narrow arc. He led the way around a corner and down a hallway. Office doors lined the walls on either side of the hall and the strange man paused beside one door set into the right hand wall and pushed it open before gesturing me inside.

  Cautiously I approached the door and peered through, alert for potential danger. The room was in darkness and illuminated only slightly by the pen light that the stranger was pointing inside. I moved past him and into the room.

  The stranger followed me in and closed the door behind me. A few moments later a battery powered lamp came to life and filled the room with a dim light that at least allowed me to look around.

  While the room may have been an office at one point, it now resembled the nest of a large feral creature. Discarded food wrappings and cans littered the floor, blankets were piled into one corner and several boxes of canned foods were stacked against the far wall.

  My new friend pulled a ratty blanket from the pile and offered it to me. I gave a nod of thanks and took the blanket gingerly whilst trying not to think about lice or fleas.

  “You were making too much noise out there” the stranger told me in a fierce whisper. “You’ll bring them here. You have to be quiet, like a mouse.” He said and bobbed his head up and down as if he were agreeing with his own words.

  “My apologies” I began.

  “Why are you wet? Is it raining?” the stranger asked.

  “I just came from the river.” I said, “Give me a few minutes to rest and I will be on my way.”

  “No, no. You’ll have to stay the night now. If you go out in the dark you could lead them to me.” The stranger said and trailed off muttering for a short time about how he needed to remain hidden. The strange fellow was obviously mad, but I at least had the chance to rest for a moment.

  I pulled my jacket off and inspected my shoulder. Even in the low light I could see the dark bruise that was beginning to form. The skin looked unbroken and it seemed that my jacket had taken most of the damage from the bite.

  “What’re you doing?” The stranger asked.

  “I got attacked earlier and I was just making sure that I wasn’t infected.” I reassured him.

  “No, no, no...” The stranger muttered to himself as he shook his head back and forth. “Can’t trust him, might be one of them.”

  The stranger was definitely acting odd and I was tired and in pain and in no mood whatsoever to put up with weirdness. “Its fine, I can assure you that I am not infected. What’s your name?”

  He looked at me for several moments muttering under his breath and shaking his head be
fore finally answering. “Alex” he said.

  “Ok Alex. My name is Ryan and I should thank you for opening the door and letting me in.” I told him in what I fervently hoped was a soothing tone.

  “Had to let you in. Couldn’t leave you out there, you would bring them here.” Alex said. He had a birdlike way of moving. Quick movements followed by a pause and then another movement. It was strangely compelling to watch.

  “You didn’t see anyone else did you?” I asked, “A lady perhaps with an injured man?”

  “No, no, no... Just you. Just you and them.“ Alex said with a fast jerk of the head towards the front entrance and the greater world beyond.

  “Ok, well I will just sit a moment and have a rest.” I told Alex before wrapping the blanket around my shoulders and sinking to the floor beside the boxes of food. I watched Alex as he moved around the small room, picking up items and peering at them before putting them back in their place.

  It was mesmerising to watch him and a welcome distraction from my thoughts of Lily and whether she had made it from the river. If she had made it out, she was smart enough to head straight for the clubhouse to warn the others. So my best option would be to head there as well.

  With a sigh I realised how hard that was going to be. I was in the outskirts of Halifax, likely on the wrong side of the river Calder in the middle of the night and without a weapon as I had lost my beloved hatchet in my last desperate fight with the undead.

  “Here drink, drink.” Alex said as he handed me a cup of something that smelled suspiciously like whiskey. “It’ll warm you up” he said with a grin.

  “Cheers then,” I said and raised the cup before drinking deeply. The drink was definitely whiskey and a not unpleasant one at that. I could feel the warmth slide down my throat and even though I knew it to be false warmth, it was still pleasant.

  “Now sleep, sleep.” Alex said as I drained the last of the cup with a second long drink.

  “No. I told you I have to...” I stopped as the room started to blur before me. “What did you put in...?”

  “You need to sleep. Can’t go out in the night” Alex said as the room grew darker around me.

  I awoke some time later groggy and with a dull throbbing somewhere behind my eyes and the cup still clutched in my hand. I could see no sign of Alex which showed me that he wasn’t totally crazy. I pushed myself to my feet and stretched to work the kinks from my muscles.

  It didn’t really matter how long I had been unconscious, Lily would be long gone and I had no chance of making it to the clubhouse before the horde of undead. I would likely never know what happened to Lily because even if she made it to the clubhouse they would have left already and I had no idea which direction they would have gone.

  A quick search through the room revealed nothing much of use as a weapon so I gathered my still sodden jacket and pulled it on. I pulled open the door and peered out. The hallway was clear and a thin shaft of light shining from the end of the hall told me that it was daylight outside.

  The hallway was covered with a threadbare mauve carpet which muffled my steps as I crept towards the front entrance, which was useful as I had no intention of revealing my presence until I had assessed the situation.

  Soft muttering came from ahead of me and I realised that Alex was waiting by the entranceway. I peered around the edge of the wall that formed the hallway and saw him standing beside the open front door.

  He was peering out and muttering for a moment before tentatively stepping out of the building and then quickly back in before muttering once more. This continued several times and I was firmly convinced that he had lost his mind.

  I waited for Alex to step back into the building to stand crouched slightly and muttering before I crept up behind him. When I was close enough with one swift motion I reached one arm around his neck and caught him in a stranglehold.

  Alex struggled and kicked as he made some interesting noises and his face slowly turned red. I held him tight and ignored his feeble blows against my arm as I pressed down on his carotid artery. In a relatively short time he was unconscious and slumped in my arms.

  A search through his pockets revealed nothing I could use to secure him but on a desk by the far wall was a phone that had a long cord attaching it to a socket at the base of the wall. I unclipped the cord from first the phone and then the wall socket before using it to secure Alex.

  My rage was building and the crazy idiot had ruined my already slim chance of making it back to the clubhouse and to Lily. I was really going to enjoy making him regret doing that.

  Chapter 2

  I left Alex lying on the floor of the building entrance. His wrists were tied securely behind his back and I made sure to close and lock the front door first. I then spent ten minutes searching through the offices for something I could use.

  None of the offices contained anything remotely like a weapon and I had to wonder how Alex had been able to survive so long. With a shake of my head at the rather shocking lack of sharp objects I retrieved the battery powered lamp and I unlocked the front door and stepped out into the yard.

  Bright sunlight and an early morning chill were the first things I noticed. The light frost that covered the ground was a less than gentle reminder that winter was on the way. I glanced at Alex to confirm that he was still secure before locking the door and exploring the area I had found myself in.

  High stone walls surrounded the yard on three sides, with the cheaper wire mesh fencing on the side that faced the river. The steel gates had buckled inwards and were held in place solely by the presence of the truck that I had seen the night before.

  In one corner of the yard, sturdy wooden pallets were stacked alongside some metal barrels. A large container for fuel stood beside the main warehouse. My search of the offices had found little of use as a weapon but I had found a set of keys. I hoped at least one of them would open the warehouse.

  The loose gravel crunched beneath my feet, the sound overly loud in the crisp morning air. In the far distance I could hear the moans of the undead but for the moment it seemed that I had managed to evade them.

  I ignored the metal roller doors and headed around the side of the warehouse. About half way down the side of the building I found a door that was securely locked. I began trying keys and was rewarded with the click of the lock as the fourth key turned. I pulled open the door and peered inside.

  Darkness filled the warehouse except for the small area by the door that was lit by the sunlight that shone weakly through the opened doorway. I turned on the lamp and stepped inside.

  Heavy duty industrial racks rose almost to the ceiling and filled the warehouse from one end to the other. Pallets of goods sat on the racks waiting to be taken down and loaded onto the trucks, to be shipped to stores.

  I walked along each rack, using the lamp to illuminate the labels as I searched for anything that I could use in this new world of the undead. I was disappointed. The racks contained pallet after pallet of electronic goods. Toasters, microwaves, hair dryers and radios were all around me and I could use none of them.

  Beside each set of roller doors I found workstations. Each of these workstations had the usual items you would expect to find in a warehouse loading bay, rolls of tape, scraps of paper, pens and Stanley knives.

  Two of the knives were pocketed and I felt immediately a great deal happier. They would be no use against the undead, but I was well aware that the zombies were not my only problem at the moment.

  With little else of use in the warehouse I left it and returned to the offices. I made my way across the yard and considered what I would do next. The world was wide open to me. All I had to do was avoid the rampaging hordes of undead and I would be fine, I could do as I pleased.

  I could go in search of the military that seemed to be still operative somewhere close by, judging by the helicopter that I had watched fly over the golf course just days ago, or I could go in search of other survivors. Perhaps I
would head to the coast and find a boat that could take me away from the UK.

  Any decision would have to wait until after I had finished my mornings work. I paused at the door and watched with amusement as Alex tried to climb to his feet with his hands tied securely behind his back. I unlocked the door and went inside.

  Alex started to whimper as the door opened and I strode straight towards him and kicked him in the side, knocking him to the floor where he lay gasping for breath.

  “Why...” he began to say as I reached down and rolled him onto his back before resting one foot on his chest.

  “I will tell you why I am about to kill you Alex” I said and watched as his eyes widened with fear. “I had something very important to do last night. It was something that I was stopped from doing when you drugged me.”

  Alex gasped and shook his head from side to side as he tried to deny what he had done. “Had to keep you from going out.” He whined, “Dangerous, you would have brought them here.”

  “Because of your actions a friend of mine is likely dead and as I have had so few friends in my life, you will understand why I take that personally” I told him calmly as I knelt down beside him. I reached into my pocket and pulled out one of the Stanley knives.

  The blade of the knife was only an inch long which would be useless when stabbing someone, but was more than enough for slicing through flesh. I placed the blade beneath his jaw and savoured the terror that engulfed him.

  “Please, don’t...” Alex began to say as I pushed his head back and then with one swift motion I drew the blade across his throat, cutting cleanly through the skin and muscle beneath. I was glad that my short blade would not cut deep enough to reach the carotid artery.

  Alex died slowly, the blood flowed from the wound and he made a number of gurgling noises as he tried to breathe. I sat and watched as his eyes grew dim and revelled in his death. He had drugged me and forced me to lose the one person I actually cared about. His actions made him far from innocent and I could enjoy his death, knowing that I had not broken Lily’s rules.