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

said but the distance and the blood pounding past her ears blots them out.
    Relief washes over her and she lets a long gasp of air out, closing her eyes and thanking whatever deity is watching over her. Reaching the top she looks over the forms of sleeping children and those injured and sent up who stare with eyes made slack from the sedatives and pain killers given out by the doctors. Bandages everywhere. Limbs wrapped in clean dressings so stark against everything else covered in grime, filth and shit.
    She threads a path through the bodies, nodding at the other men and women until she reaches her spot. The spot she claimed when they ran up to keep the children safe. By the low wall that Howie and the others fired from when Darren led his army against them. She wasn’t here when that happened. None of these people were. They didn’t see the sacrifices made to keep this place safe and give their species a chance to survive.
    She slumps down to rest her back against the wall and instantly adjusts position to stop the pistol digging into her spine.
    ‘What?’ Sam asks
    ‘What?’
    ‘Look on your face,’ Sam says.
    ‘What look?’
    ‘What’s going on, Pea?’
    ‘In a minute,’ Paula whispers, ‘just act normally.’
    ‘You are bloody joking I hope,’ Sam chuckles without humour while edging closer to her friend. ‘What’s happening?’
    ‘In a minute.’
    ‘Paula bloody Gabriel…’ Sam says, adopting a stern expression.
    ‘I hate it when you call me that,’ Pea whispers, ignoring the stern expression.
    ‘Paula Gabriel.’
    ‘Stop it.’
    ‘Paula Gabriel.’
    ‘Sam, stop! I’ll tell you in a minute.’
    ‘Paula Gabr…’
    ‘Fine! I’ve got a gun…’
    ‘What!?’
    ‘Shush,’ Pea whispers, waving a hand at her friend.
    ‘Why have you got a gun?’
    ‘Lilly gave it to me.’
    ‘Lilly?’
    ‘Yes, Lilly. The blond girl…’
    ‘I know who Lilly is. Why did she give you a gun, Pea?’
    ‘I don’t know,’ Pea exclaims then winces at the volume of her own voice, ‘She just did. She came out of the hospital with Lenski and just stopped when she saw that girl…’
    ‘What girl?’ Sam asks, desperate for more detail.
    ‘Er…she was with Darius…Escort or…Focus or something?’
    ‘Sierra,’ Sam says, rolling her eyes, ‘you did that on purpose.’
    ‘I did not.’
    ‘So did,’ Sam says.
    ‘I forgot her name.’
    ‘Yeah right, anyway…so go on…’
    ‘Well, Lenski and Lilly came out and Lilly was holding the gun and they just stopped when they saw that Ford girl…’
    ‘Pea!’
    ‘Okay, they stopped when they saw Sierra, she’s got a big machine gun by the way.’
    ‘Who has?’
    ‘Sierra, I just said that.’
    ‘Oh right, yeah I’m with you now. So?’
    ‘So Lilly hid behind Lenski then rushed over to me and slipped the gun into my hand and told me to take it and hide it.’
    ‘She never did?’
    ‘She so did,’ Pea says, nodding earnestly.
    ‘Why?’ Sam asks, lowering her voice again and leaning even closer.
    ‘Don’t know,’ Pea says, ‘I don’t think she wanted Ford girl to…’
    ‘Pea…’
    ‘Fine! I don’t think she wanted Sierra to see they had it.’
    ‘What about Maddox?’
    ‘Oh god I didn’t tell you that bit.’
    ‘What bit?’
    ‘Maddox got carried into the hospital.’
    ‘Why? What for?’
    ‘He passed out.’
    ‘Well that Lani did tazer him like a hundred times,’ Sam says, ‘so it must be Maddox’s gun, right?’
    ‘Might be,’ Pea says, shrugging.
    ‘Where is it now?’
    ‘Down the back of my jeans. You’d better take it.’
    ‘Me?’
    ‘Yes you,’ Pea says leaning forward ready to tug it out but finding a hand pushing her back against the wall.
    ‘I’m not taking it,’ Sam says in panic, stopping her friend from leaning forward.
    ‘I can’t bloody keep it.’
    ‘Don’t give the bloody thing to me.’
    ‘Sam, you’re better at things like that. You take it.’
    ‘Better at hiding guns? When have I ever hidden