The Undead Day Nineteen by RR Haywood Read Free Book Online

to do this. Any of them would. But they are not here. I am.
    Into the strong light they go. Into the outside world of death and filth. Of bodies still lying where they fell. Of tents still smouldering and a hole in the wall gaping through to the sea on the other side.
    Behind Lenski she steps out and looks first right to see a youth wearing black ramming a magazine into an assault rifle as his mates adjust the slings on theirs. She steps further out to see three girls yanking the bolts back on rifles and Sierra striding through the fort with a group gathered round her handing out the guns taken from the new armoury.
    Too late. They’re armed. Her eyes scan the perimeter seeing the numbers of potential opposition. Too many. Everything balanced on that knife edge again. Every action taken could spark a devastating reaction. Her mind in overdrive. Thinking. Planning. Calculating the paths ahead and which one to take.
    Movement to her left. An adult woman with dark hair who was up the top with the children on the wall now standing and looking sadly down at the bodies of those taken from the hospital.
    Lilly glides behind Lenski, using the Polish woman to shield the sight of the pistol in her hand. The youths see Lenski and that recognition spreads as they stop to stare over.
    ‘Too many,’ Lilly whispers behind Lenski.
    ‘Gun. Hide it,’ Lenski mouths, turning her head a fraction.
    Lilly moves quickly to the woman with dark hair, passing the gun from her right hand to her left to hide it from view.
    ‘Hey,’ Lilly says, naturally and softly but her eyes lock on the dark haired woman and pass a message so clear and evident. The dark haired woman blinks at the penetrating gaze locked on her. ‘You okay?’ Lilly asks, glaring fiercely with an expression that conflicts with the soft tone of voice.
    The woman nods, unsure of what to do as Lilly closes the gap and leans in as though to hug her. The woman can’t move back as the bodies of the dead children are right behind her. She stays still, feeling as Lilly reaches her right arm up and round her shoulders to draw her close.
    ‘Take it….hide it…’ A whisper in her ear and something hard pressed into her hand. With instinct she grips onto it, knowing instantly what it is. Lilly pulls back, that yearning in her eyes, ‘Hide it…’
    The woman nods quickly and shoves the pistol down the back of her waistband before pulling the tails of her filthy checked shirt over to hide the shape of the gun bulging out.
    ‘Go up…don’t let anyone see it.’
    The woman nods again. A small almost frantic motion of her head bobbing up and down. She swallows and looks past Lilly to Sierra and the youths all ranging out dressed in black with guns held in their hands.
    ‘Lenski,’ Sierra calls out, stopping metres away and her voice sounds rough, hard and cold. ‘Where’s Mads?’
    ‘See you up top,’ Lilly says at normal volume moving back from the woman who quickly turns away.
    ‘He sick,’ Lenski replies, sullen and staring.
    ‘Sick?’ Sierra asks. Everyone listens. Everyone watches.
    ‘He was tazered several times,’ Lilly says, moving to Lenski’s side, ‘He passed out…the doctors are with him now. I think he’ll be fine…just needs a rest. Is anyone else hurt?’ she asks looking round at the youths, ‘the doctors can check you if you need it.’
    ‘We’s fine,’ Sierra says. Holding her ground with some of the crew chiefs gathered round as she stares over, glowering and full of menace but empty in her eyes that have seen too many things. The image of Darius’s skull exploding right in front of her replays over and over. His brains coating the front of her shirt. The shards of his skull sticky on her hands as she wept silent tears.
    ‘Good,’ Lilly says, taking care to keep her tone neutral. ‘We need to get that hole in the wall fixed and the children up there need food and water…and this place is a complete mess.’
    ‘We’ll sort it yeah,’