Killing the Dead (Season 2 | Book 2): Dark and Deadly Land Read Online Free PDF Page A

any number of things. Matches, batteries, hand sanitizer if we have any.”
    “Anything else?” Lily asked as she looked at each of us in turn.
    “A little salt, bleach and maybe some duct tape,” I said.
    “Bleach?”
    “To help purify water.”
    “These bags are going to be heavy,” Pat said. “With weapons too, it will be a lot to carry.”
    “Necessary though,” Lily said with a sigh. She looked around at each of us and nodded to herself. “Right then, we have a route and idea of supplies. Let’s get everything together, we leave at first light.”
     

Chapter 4 - Lily
    At the top of Lake Windermere, there sat a town. Like many of those we’d had to trek through on our desperate search for safety all those months ago, it had fallen to the undead. Its houses were empty, the streets and open spaces devoid of life. All that remained there now were the zombies.
    We’d often discussed whether or not to try and scavenge from its lifeless shops and homes but had, in the end, decided against it. Too risky. It sounds strange to say that since we had often visited Windermere, a town overflowing with the undead. But there it was, Ambleside was off limits.
    What it did have in its favour was the wide river that passed through it. In fact, most of the great lakes that made up the Lake District were connected by a series of wide rivers. Toby, a man who had lived in Windermere all his life was confident that he could get us a good distance through the district via those rivers. Which was a good thing since the roads were fairly packed with roaming undead.
    As the sun rose above the horizon we gathered on the docks and said goodbye to our friends, our community. Each of us had been allowed our pick of the jackets and coats which meant that we all wore something waterproof and warm.
    The backpack was already digging into my shoulders as I leant forward and wrapped my arms around Gabby. She would be in charge of my people while I was away and though I had a great deal of faith in the former veterinarian, I still worried.
    “It’ll be fine,” she whispered. “Go and find help for us.”
    I smiled and brushed away the tear before it could fully form in my eye. Foolish I know but goodbyes always make me cry. I could see that I wasn’t the only one either. Cass had red-rimmed eyes and gave a quick wave before allowing Pat to help her into the boat.
    Gregg was already sat in the bow beside Becky, distracting himself with asking her questions while she answered in a distracted manner as she waited impatiently for us to be off. She was the one who had been pushing for this since Ryan had pulled her from the wreckage of her plane months ago.
    That man himself, the sometimes distant man who I cared so much for, stood on the edge of the dock staring across the lake. I very much doubted he had anything other than a dry eye but I walked over to join him anyway.
    “You ok?”
    “Hmm?” he asked with a quick glance back to me and then away across the lake again.
    “Are you okay I said?”
    “Fine,” he replied and I reached out to gently turn him towards me.
    “What’s so distracting?”
    “There’s a zombie over there,” he said with a slight tilt of the head back the way he’d been looking. “I can’t be sure from this distance but I think it’s watching us.”
    I stared past him and felt the frown form on my brow for a moment before I quickly smoothed it away. He was right, there at the water’s edge, almost in the water, was a lone zombie. Unlike those others that we would often see wandering along the road, this one was off in some way that I couldn’t place.
    “That’s weird.”
    “Obviously I cannot be sure, but I am fairly certain that is the one-eyed zombie from the cellar,” Ryan said. I glanced at him and saw the corners of his mouth turn up in the slightest smile.
    “You’re happy about that?”
    “It’s different and different is… interesting.”
    “Oh for god’s sake,” I said. “Don’t