The Undead Day Nineteen by RR Haywood Read Free Book Online Page A

Sierra says, her tone flat.
    ‘So much to do,’ Lilly says, papering over the cracks and the tension mounting as everyone watches to see the power game play out. ‘Bodies.’
    Sierra scowls, a fleeting expression that wanes as quickly as it came, ‘Bodies?’
    ‘Where do we put them?’ Lilly says heavily. ‘We can’t leave them here. What was Maddox’s orders with the bodies?’ She slips it in without confrontation. A reminder to all that Maddox is the one who gives orders. Maddox is number one.
    ‘In the sea,’ a youth calls out. ‘With rocks and shit so they sink down, you get me?’
    ‘I see,’ Lilly says politely, letting her accent play off against the youth in a playful gesture. ‘Well, the sea it shall be then. Lenski? What’s first?’
    The tension rises again as Lilly draws Lenski into the conversation, waiting to see if Sierra will accept what the woman has to say.
    ‘We do wall first,’ Lenski says with a deep sigh as she folds her arms. ‘This mess. All of this is mess. Sierra, we need guard yes? On wall and on gate, yes? I fix wall you guard, yes?’
    ‘How you gonna fix the wall?’ Sierra asks, still not blinking or moving.
    ‘I not know this. I not builder. We find the people in here who know this. We fix wall, we clean mess.’
    ‘I can go and find someone,’ Lilly offers, ‘if that helps? Sierra? You okay with that?’
    The girl flicks her eyes from Lenski to Lilly. The gun held tight across her chest. A curl of her lip and her head inclines an inch, ‘Liam, you take the gate yeah?’
    ‘Yeah,’ Liam says from the side.
    ‘Zayden, you’s get a few watching that wall,’ Sierra adds, ‘where’s Maddox’s gun?’
    ‘Pardon?’ Lilly asks, stepping forward as though to hear better.
    ‘His gun. Where is it?’
    ‘No idea,’ Lilly says, glancing over at Lenski, ‘I didn’t see it…maybe he dropped it or it fell out…’
    Lenski shrugs with a gesture both non-committal and disinterested.
    ‘Could be anywhere, Sierra,’ a girl says looking round at the ground by her feet.
    ‘Whatever,’ Sierra says and the tension breaks as she looks away.
    ‘Right, I’ll go and see who I can find to fix the wall,’ Lilly says. ‘Lenski? Are you coming with me?’
    Lenski shows no reaction as Sierra walks off but simply stares hard with her arms folded tight across her chest.
    ‘Tense,’ Lilly mutters.
    ‘No. We fix wall then tents.’
    ‘No I meant it was tense.’
    ‘Yes,’ Lenski says finally taking her eyes from Sierra to look at Lilly, ‘I know this. We fix tents later.’
     

Five
     
    It feels like every pair of eyes is on her. It even affects the way she walks. Her arms swing unnaturally and she yearns to reach back and check the gun is still there. She knows it’s there. She can feel it. What if it falls out? What if it slips? Everyone is watching her. Every single pair of eyes in the fort are scrutinising her every step and they can tell just from her gait that she is guilty of something.
    The worry knots in her stomach as she starts the incline up the ramp and curses as the gained height means she’ll be even more visible. She wants to turn and hand the gun back to Lilly. Why did she take it? She only went down to see how bad it was and if they could get some food and drink for the children. Oh god. Everyone is staring. She knows they are. The urge to turn and look is so strong but she walks on with heavy legs and arms that swing weirdly. Like at a comedy show when you try and sneak out for the toilet and the performer stops the show to call you out. That’s how it feels. Like everyone is watching and staring.
    She does turn. The urge is just too great and she risks what she hopes is a casual glance back, as though she is simply looking round from benign curiosity.
    No one is watching. Nobody. Not one person is actually looking in her direction. They’re all fixed on the stand-off between the hard looking girl with the rifle and Lilly and Lenski. Words are being