Killing the Dead (Season 2 | Book 2): Dark and Deadly Land by Richard Murray Read Free Book Online Page B

had diabetes and they ran out of Insulin.”
    “It needed to be done,” Jonathan said almost defensively. “They had to try.”
    I could recognise the sound of an old argument that was about to be rehashed so I quickly asked another question, “You mentioned other children?”
    “Peter and Ross,” Mary said with a faraway look.
    “Pete was in the army,” Jonathan added as he looked down at the cup his wife set before him. “Ross was in college. We’ve heard nothing of either of them since the phones stopped working.”
    “I’m sorry,” I said as I reached across to lay my hand over his. He nodded and swallowed hard before he looked away. I pretended not to see the unshed tears in his eyes.
    “Now, what about you?” Mary asked as she passed the last cup to Ryan and seated herself beside her husband.
    I glanced at each of my friends in turn before I began to speak, “Well it started last year.”
    The story was long and by the time I’d finished, I looked down to see my cup was empty. I’d not even noticed that I’d drunk it. I’d explained about meeting Ryan and the others, though I’d left out some parts.
    Our long journey to find a place where we could be safe and the losses we’d suffered. The attacks from the deserters and Marcus’s evil group. I explained how we’d found Becky and the box she carried that contained a great deal of research on the virus that reanimated the dead. How Cass was pregnant and immune and we were on our way to Scotland to find the navy that had landed there.
    “That’s quite a tale,” Mary said as I finished. She shared a look with her husband and gave her head a shake. “Quite a tale.”
    “You can stay in the holiday homes,” Jonathan said as he pushed himself up from the table and crossed to a drawer. He opened it and pulled out a set of keys that he placed on the table before us.
    “It’s really very generous of you,” I said. “A few hours rest and we’ll be off though.”
    “Take as long as you need,” he said.
    “Will be nice to have some company,” his wife added.
    “How long have you been here alone?” Cass asked.
    “Oh a few months now, since before the snow,” Mary said.
    “We can give you some food and a few supplies,” Jonathan added and when I protested he waved at the produce behind him. “We have an entire harvest and most will go to waste.”
    “Thank you then,” I said and he smiled.
    “It’s nice to have some young uns around, to be honest.”
    He paused as though considering what he was about to say and looked to his wife, finally he turned back to us. “We have a car, it’s not much,” he said. “Will need some work and if you can take the time to wait while I fix it… well, you can have it.”
    “You’re kidding!” Gregg said as he sat up, a look of excitement crossing his face. It was reflected in the rest of my friends except Ryan who had his arms crossed, his cup of tea untouched as he watched us all warily. It looked for all the world like he was waiting to see if we’d been poisoned before he’d trust his own drink.
    “That’s really generous of you,” I said. “I’m not sure how to thank you.”
    “It’s nothing,” Jonathan said with a wave of his hand. “We’ve no use for it. This is our home and no reason to visit anywhere else now.”
    “You could come with us,” Cass suggested. “If your son was in the army overseas, the navy could have brought him back with them.”
    The older couple shared another look that held all the pain they carried and the faintest of hopes for something good to appear once more in their lives. I watched as that hope slowly died and they shook their heads.
    “Thank you for the offer dear,” Mary said. “It’s best for us to remain here, where they can find us should any of them manage it. You’ve at least given us some hope that they might do so.”
    “We have?” Gregg asked, his voice soft and respectful.
    “If you have all survived so long then others will