Fear the Dead (Book 3) Read Online Free PDF

the dead of night. It had taken three days to
get into Scotland. We moved non-stop during the day and rested at night,
clinging to whatever fitful sleep we could manage. A fog of grief hung over the
group, each of us dealing with what we saw in our own ways.
     
    Darkness
seeped into the sky and made it the colour of charcoal. I spread the map on my
knees, careful not to worsen the tears that had begun to appear in the folds.
     
    “I don’t get
it,” I said, scratching my head. “It should be here.”
     
    “Sure you’re
reading it right?” asked Lou.
     
    “Course.”
     
    Lately we
spoke in as few words as we could, as though every extra syllable consumed
valuable energy. My stomach growled at me, demanded food. To my left, Alice and
Ben lay on the ground. Ben stirred in his sleep, kicked his leg out. Sweat
mottled his forehead.
     
    “He can’t keep
going,” said Lou.
     
    I nodded.
Ben had gotten worse since we left. Alice shot me dirtier looks with every
passing mile. She blamed me for Ben’s condition, and I blamed myself too. But
what was I supposed to do? They had wanted to rest a few days at the farmhouse,
and look at what had happened there. Despite how remote it was, it just proved
that nowhere was safe. We had to find Bleakholt, and until we did, we couldn’t
rest.
     
    The flame of
my lighter flickered over the map, set an orange glow over the green contours
that depicted Scotland. Lou’s face, locked in a grimace, was half-illuminated,
but the other half was shadow. Alice sat up and rubbed her eyes. Bags hung
underneath them.
     
    “Can you put
that out? Some of us are trying to sleep,” she said, her words clipped.
     
    “Just trying
to get our bearings,” I said.
     
    She huffed
and lay back down. I’d never seen Alice like this. She was pissed off at me,
but there was nothing I could do. Sana slept a few feet away, as far as she
dared stray. She had isolated herself from us. She walked on autopilot during
the days, her eyes blank, dragging her feet. She never spoke, and if she ever
looked my way, it was to give me a stare that burned with malice.
     
    Between her
and Alice, the hostility they held for me added an extra ten pounds to my load.
It lowered my shoulders, made each step that little bit heavier. Where was
Bleakholt, dammit? I folded the map away and hung my head.
     
    Lou stood up
and shuffled over to me. She sat an inch away.
     
    “What’s
wrong Kyle?” she said.
     
    “Sick of
being lost.”
     
    She shook
her head. “It’s more than that. There’s something on your mind. I can feel it.”
     
    Her tone
seemed kind, but there was no reason for her to be nice to me. I’d pushed her
just as much as the rest of them. But feeling like I did, I would take whatever
niceties I could get. I could use a bit of comfort.
     
    “It's all
down to me, isn’t it? I’m the reason we’re lost. It’s my fault Sana’s boy is
dead. And Ben’s sickness is on me.”
     
    I couldn’t
hide the self-pity in my voice. I expected nice words to come, some kind of
comforting gesture. Lou looked at me.
     
     “Yep, it’s
your fault. I’m not gonna lie to you, Kyle. You’ve pushed the boy too far.
Hell, you pushed most of us adults too far. We’re not machines.”
     
    I put the
map in my pocket. “I just need to get us somewhere safe. They don’t understand,
Lou. “
     
    She stuck
her palm out in front of me. “Please don’t start with the wave again. We’ve
gotta stop soon. If we don’t, people are going to drop.”
     
    I sighed. I
knew she was right. Maybe I should let them get a little more rest and cover a
few less miles each day. Perhaps I should just let the wave catch up to us,
maybe then they’d realise the position we were in. I turned away from Lou. I
lowered my back to the ground, looked up at the charcoal sky. It was time to
get some rest.
     
    Across the
woods, something shrieked. There was a crash, like a branch falling from a
tree. I bolted upright. Another