All the Dead Are Here Read Online Free PDF Page B

Look, we’d be ever so grateful if you could let us in. You see, we’ve had a bit of a time of it.” He smiled a thin smile at Denzel. Humility was obviously a skill acquired only since the world had ceased to see money as a commodity. The others were stretching and walking about disinterestedly.
    “Where you come frahm?” shouted Denzel to the figure below. He leaned out through the hut window, resting his elbows on the wide sill, and holding his head in one hand.
    “Well we’ve been holed up in the Channel Islands for the past couple of years. Since this all started really.” Denzel said nothing. “Yes well, it all got a bit intolerable. Too many people, you see, not enough land to grow food on, and I was never one for fishing, really. Then after a few months people started to get sick. So we heard about Kernow and...”
    “What exactly did you hear about Kernow?” Denzel scowled, cutting the man off mid sentence. Just then there was a low moan from the distant Zombies. Everyone, including Denzel, turned and looked up the road to see a small crowd of the things shambling towards them. The were still a way off but had obviously got the scent of the travellers.
    “Look, we just heard there were a few people living in a safe community down here. We heard that it was better than where we were and the few hundred people who came down this way didn’t come back, so we kind of assumed they just stayed.”
    “Well I ain’t seen no-one in months,” said Denzel, flatly.
    “Oh. Well, those things are getting closer, so be a good chap and open the gate,” he said, with a pleading lilt that Denzel found most satisfying.
    “They are beginning to get quite close now, Julian,” said the floppy teenager, backing away behind the older woman.
    “Well we got a bit of a problem then ain’t we, Julian?” sneered Denzel.
    The four figures turned to look up at Denzel.
    “We ain’t exaactly got too much stuff spare ‘ere ourselves, you know.” The travellers looked slightly panicked, as if they knew what was coming but didn’t want to acknowledge it. “And besides, we don’t let Emmets in.”
    “Emmets?” Said Julian.
    “Well this is just bloody marvellous!” sneered the older woman.
    “Shut up Jocasta,” Julian barked. “Just let me deal with this.”
    “Emmets?” said Julian.
    “Emmets,” said Denzel.
    “What’s an Emmet?”
    “You, that’s what. All you lot from up country. Emmets,” said Denzel, waving his hand dismissively up the road.
    “Ahh!” Julian exclaimed. “Ahh!” he pointed up at Denzel.
    “See, that’s where you are wrong!” Julian dived back in the car and started scrabbling around. Eventually he found a scrap of paper and started waving it about at Denzel. “I own a house down here!” he exclaimed.
    “Oh, is thaat roight?” said Denzel, amused.
    The Zombies were getting closer now. Their moans agitated at their lack of speed to get at their prey. They were a motley collection of Dead, some old and more worryingly, some recently turned. Slowly they emerged from the ditches and hedgerows.
    “Oh no, not again!” exclaimed the floppy haired teenager. The blonde girl pointed down at his trousers.
    “Julian. He’s pissed himself again.”
    “Oh, for fuck’s sake!” said an exasperated Julian.
    “Look, my good man. I own a house in St Ives,” he puffed.
    “Which one?” asked Denzel.
    “What do you mean ‘which one’, you bloody idiot? It’s not going to be St Ives in London, is it?”
    “Which house?”
    Julian scrabbled with the paper, trying to smooth it out on his leg.
    “Number 5. No, number 8. Number 8, Bat Drive. Bat Drive? BAY DRIVE! Number 8, Bay Drive!”
    Denzel gazed at the scudding clouds in thought. “Bay Drive. Bay Drive. Is thaat the one with the lovely picture window?” mused Denzel. Julian stared at the fading picture.
    “Julian, they are really getting rather close now,” sneered the woman.
    “YES I KNOW JOCASTA!” Julian screamed, a small