Dead Days Zombie Apocalypse Series (Season 6) Read online

  But he wouldn’t allow anyone to make even more of a tit of him like James was doing right now.

  “You’re pushing yourself further over the edge, Riley. Pushing yourself down a road it’s very damned tricky to get back from.”

  Riley stopped by the door. Thought about James’ words. They were so similar to Ted’s words before Riley attempted to commit suicide all those years ago. He remembered feeling dangerously on the edge. He remembered the hopelessness that came with it. That manifested inside.

  “…Pushing yourself down a fucking impossible road to return from…”

  He took in a deep breath. Looked back at James. Wanted to go back there. Wanted to sit with him. Because he was one of his people. He was one of his friends.

  But then the image flashed in his mind once more.

  The image of the blood running down Billy’s face.

  The sound of his skull bursting.

  The feel of the warm blood as it splattered all over Riley.

  But most of all, above anything, Riley thought about his eyes.

  His bloodshot eyes staring up at him, so present, so conscious.

  “You know where I am if you want another drink sometime,” Riley said—about the politest thing he could manage.

  Then he opened the door.

  Walked out into the warm summer air.

  Back towards his home.

  His bubble.

  His shell.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Riley stared out over the wall, out into the distance, towards the unknown.

  It was a bright day, so he could see much further than usual. He could see over the tops of the crumbling buildings. He could see beyond the cars wedged in, blocking the Manchester roads. He could see right over the hills towards Rivington, a hill he used to climb with his parents when he was younger.

  He thought about his parents. Thought about them, wherever in the world they were.

  He thought about Alison. His son. He didn’t take much time to think about them these days. They seemed so far into his past. So detached from his present life.

  He hoped they were okay.

  He took a deep breath of the sweet, warm summer air. The birds continued to chirp and sing. The feel of the cool breeze against Riley’s face was nice. Enough to convince him he was okay. That everything was okay. Normal.

  Other than the low hum of the droning creatures, of course.

  He got an iffy taste in his mouth when he heard their cries. When he saw their waddling bodies wandering up to the side of the wall. They couldn’t make it in. Not many of them, anyway. His group had been sure to solidify the foundations after Mr Fletch’s attack. The odd one still breached it, found a way in, but that was just life. Something they could handle.

  He wished he could’ve been a part of the rebuilding process. A part of him wished he could have spearheaded it.

  But he knew his moment had passed. His moment was gone.

  “You come up here often?”

  The voice startled Riley. He turned around. Saw Hassan standing at the top of the staircase. He looked at Riley through narrowed eyes, an obviously fake smile on his face.

  Riley turned around, looked back out at the surroundings. “Only when it’s nice.”

  “Y’see, it was my impression that you didn’t leave home much at all these days.”

  “And what gave you that impression?’

  Hassan stopped beside Riley. Leaned against the railing. Smiled. “Just an inkling I had.”

  Riley felt a burning sensation in his stomach. He knew what Hassan was referring to. Jordanna. The pair of them got on pretty well, apparently. Since Hassan shot Mr Fletch and crossed the boundaries of the wall, he’d done a pretty good job of co-leading this place, along with Riley’s partner.

  But Riley knew there was something more to Hassan’s motives. He knew Hassan fancied the fuck out of Jordanna.

  And as much as Riley and Jordanna were drifting lately, he still couldn’t bring himself to accept even the thought of this cunt sleeping with his Mrs.

  “Couldn’t make the ball last night?”

  Riley narrowed his eyes. “No. Or you’d have seen me there.”

  “Just asking, just asking.” Another pause. A gust of wind blasted against the wall from nowhere. “Still struggling then?”

  “Struggling?”

  Hassan glanced at Riley, then down to the ground below. “Oh I’m sorry. I thought you knew I… Jordanna and me. We speak.”

  “Right,” Riley said, barely unable to keep the anger from spilling out.

  “Honestly though, mate.”

  “I’m not your mate.”

  “Honestly, though. I just want the best for you. The best for both of you. And I’m just… I’m just worried about you. That’s all.”

  Riley thought about shouting in this fucker’s smug face. Or tossing him over the wall.

  Instead, he steadied his breathing. Forced a smile. “I appreciate your concern. I’m gonna have to head off.”

  Riley started walking away.

  “What happened to Billy last night. You saw it. Didn’t you?”

  Riley stopped. He frowned. He tasted sweat on his lips. He didn’t know what to say.

  He turned. Looked into Hassan’s eyes.

  They were glistening.

  “I’m not—”

  “No point lying about it. I know you were there. Now I don’t know what happened, but you do understand the consequences, don’t you?”

  Riley remembered the way he’d walked down to Billy Warren holding Jordanna’s pistol. He shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Hassan smiled. Nodded. “Right. I didn’t think so. But we’re investigating. I promise you we’re investigating. And when we’ve finished our investigation… well, have you taken a tour of the new cell block yet?”

  Riley’s pulse raced. Twat. Fucking twat.

  He wanted to bash the bastard’s face in.

  Wipe that smug, self-righteous look right away from it.

  But instead, he just kept on taking those deep breaths.

  Kept on holding his nerve.

  He couldn’t make a wrong move. Not now. Not after what’d happened to Billy.

  “Like I said,” Riley said. “I really have to go.”

  He started to descend the steps, Hassan’s smug face fresh in his mind.

  “Please don’t be lying, Riley,” Hassan said. “That’s something none of us want. Not me. Not you. Not Jordanna.”

  Riley stopped. Tensed his fists. Heat flushed through his body.

  He thought about going back there.

  For real, this time.

  Going back there and bashing Hassan’s face in.

  Finishing the job he should’ve done ages ago.

  But he couldn’t.

  He couldn’t because he owed Hassan.

  Hassan helped save his life after he’d been stabbed in the chest.

  His medical experience meant that he’d saved many lives since, and would continue to do so.

  Hassan was an asset. Hassan was a leader.

  What the fuck was Riley?

  He carried on down the stairs, further away from Hassan, closer to the ground of the MLZ. A few clouds had thickened overhead, bringing a chill to the air. The drone of the creatures went on, and on, and on.

  Riley was about to walk away from the staircase, the itch for alcohol and unconsciousness niggling at his mind.

  And then he saw something.

  Saw something in the corner of his eye.

  An opening.

  An opening in the wall.

  Wind brushing through it.

  Bloodied footsteps on the ground in front of it.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Riley froze as he stared at the opening in the wall.

  He could see beyond it. See outside it. See the cars, the roads, the buildings, all of them without the safe boundary of height.

  He could see the outside world just feet away from him.

  The outside world he hadn’t stepped into in months.

  The outside world he hadn’t crossed over to since his stabbing at the hands of Mr Fletch.

  He listened to the sound of the groans in the distance. The sound of the footsteps. The bloodied footprints on the gravel in front of the opening glistened in the sun. He didn’t know what to do. Call Hassan? Shout for somebody else?

  He just knew he couldn’t investigate it himself.

  He knew it was dangerous to investigate it himself.

  He started to turn around when a memory struck him. A memory of himself in the early days of the outbreak. First day, in fact. Him and Ted, driving along that country lane back in Preston.

  The decision they made to leave Jordanna behind.

  The way that decision haunted him for the months and months that followed.

  It was a decision that still caught in Riley’s throat to this day. A decision he still regretted.

  And here he was, thinking about walking away again.

  After all the pain he’d caused the last time he walked away.

  After all the chaos that had unfolded.

  And all the fighting to make his world right again.

  Could he really just toss all that away?

  He took a few deep breaths in through his nose, just like his therapist used to tell him. Deep breath in, hold for a few seconds, deep breath out. In, hold, out.

  The warm air tickled the back of his throat. He felt his gag reflex kick in as he walked back towards the opening in the wall, towards the blood. Tasted bitterness on his tongue.

  But he could do this.

  He could conquer his fears. Conquer his anxieties.

  He’d done it before so he could do it again.

  He’d done i
t so many times.

  He wasn’t going to let it defeat him.

  He walked closer to the opening. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled. He thought he saw movement in the corners of his eyes. Movement to his left, down an alleyway that ran past an empty apartment complex. And up ahead. Just beyond the opening.

  He saw the creatures in the distance moving in the heat.

  Saw them edging closer.

  As he reached the opening, looked over the blood, it soon struck Riley just how strange this was. How strange it was that nobody had noticed the opening. There were guards manning the wall at all times. Keeping check of every section. Two per section, too, so if something happened to one of them, there was always another to fall back on.

  But this section of the wall right now was dead.

  Empty.

  And the dead were edging towards it.

  But this blood. It was the blood that caught Riley’s attention more than anything.

  Something had got inside the wall.

  Something had bled just inches away from Riley’s feet.

  And then the bloodied prints had stopped.

  Stopped.

  Just like it’d turned around and walked away.

  Riley looked down at the glistening blood and a flashback filled his mind. A flashback to Billy Warren. Crawling across the road. Dragging himself along. Bleeding from every visible orifice, and probably a few invisible orifices too.

  And then his head exploding.

  Bursting like a melon with a grenade planted inside it.

  His body twitching.

  Then, nothing.

  Riley swallowed the vomity taste from his mouth. Took in another deep breath. He had to check outside. Had to check nothing was in the immediate proximity of the wall.

  And then he had to alert someone.

  Figure out what the fuck was going on.

  First though, he needed to do what he had to do.

  He needed to be strong again.

  He stepped towards the opening. Put his foot just inches in front of it. It felt strange. Like dangling his foot over a pool of icy cold water. He knew he’d be okay once he got out there, once he’d been out there for a few minutes. But he knew too that for a few torturous minutes, he wouldn’t be okay. He wouldn’t be okay at all.

  It was just about figuring whether those torturous minutes were worth it.

  Or whether the lure of the comfort zone was much more preferable.

  He felt his insides quivering. Sweat rolled down his forehead. He felt the palpitations in his chest. Palpitations he always felt.

  He couldn’t do this.

  He couldn’t step across the boundary.

  He couldn’t…

  No. No, he could do this. He was strong enough to do this.

  He was doing this.

  He put a foot across the boundary.

  Stepped over with his other foot much quicker.

  A weight built upon his shoulders. His breathing grew difficult. Sense of panic welled up in his chest.

  And then in a split second, it deteriorated. Collapsed.

  Collapsed as he stood there and stared out at his surroundings.

  At his freedom.

  You’re outside.

  You did it.

  A sudden lightness came over Riley. He just wanted to stand here, be still, let it all sink in as his racing heart slowed down, as he steadied his breathing.

  He was outside.

  He’d made it outside.

  He was strong enough to conquer his fears.

  He stood there for a few more seconds, maybe longer, and stared out at the deserted city. Stared out at the smashed windows. At the upturned cars. And it was the most relieved he’d felt in weeks, months. The most optimistic he’d felt in a long, long time.

  He thought about Jordanna. About how proud she’d be if he told her he’d made it. He’d faced his fears. He’d stepped across the boundary, walked beyond the wall, witnessed the other side once again.

  And then the realisation hit him.

  Hit him hard and square in the chest.

  You’re outside because of the hole in the wall.

  His insides welled up. His smile dropped.

  A sense that he was being watched grew inside.

  He heard the groan immediately to his right.

  But the creature was already on him before he could react.

  CHAPTER NINE

  There wasn’t all that much Riley could do when the creature landed on him and pinned him to the ground.

  He saw it on top of him. Saw the bloodied saliva rolling down from its torn cheeks. Saw its rotting teeth. Saw the angry look in its bloodshot eyes. A look he’d seen in so many of the other creatures. Almost like a look of recognition, although that wasn’t possible ’cause these things were dead.

  Didn’t matter anyway.

  Its teeth cracked together, echoed above his face.

  Its bony fingers pressed further and further down into his shoulders.

  Riley’s first instinct, as his head pounded after the collision with the ground, was to shout out for help. To call for someone to help him.

  But call it idiocy, call it pride, he couldn’t bring himself to shout out Hassan’s name.

  He couldn’t bring himself to cry out for the man who’d already saved his life once before.

  For the man who was gagging for Jordanna. Riley saw that much.

  So he pressed back. Pressed back against the loose, damp white shirt dangling from the creature’s body. It’d been so long since he’d come into contact with a creature. So long since he’d fought one off. And for that reason, this felt like the first time again. Like a reset button had been hit in his life and he’d gone right back to the start, when he was scared, before he grew in confidence, before he grew in ability, before he became a leader.

  He felt the rotting flesh slip away underneath his hands.

  The creature tumbled back down towards Riley.

  He swung to the right.

  Good job, because the creature’s teeth cracked against some loose concrete on Riley’s left. Kept on snapping together, as if to check it’d made contact with Riley’s flesh.

  When the creature realised it hadn’t, it turned. Looked at Riley with those glazed eyes.

  Lunged for him.

  Riley smacked the creature right between its eyes. The contact hurt his knuckles. Fuck. So long since he’d fought these creatures. So long that even fighting them off, defending himself, was proving a challenge.

  He swung again at the creature as it came for another round. Then again, his right hand numb, his knuckles bleeding.

  But the creature just kept on coming back. Not even bothered in the slightest by Riley’s feeble defences.

  Riley scrambled backwards. Hit the outside of the wall. Fuck. The wall. He was outside the wall. He felt his heart rate pick up. Felt tightness in his throat.

  He was outside the wall and he was all alone.

  No. Not all alone. Outside the wall with a fucking creature.

  He couldn’t breathe.

  He couldn’t think.

  He couldn’t—

  He did breathe.

  He had no choice in the matter.

  Not when he heard the second groan on his right.

  And then the third.

  And then the fourth.

  He looked around, hoping it was all just in his head, a figment of his hungover imagination.

  His stomach sank the moment he saw what was on his right.

  Six creatures. All of them in various stages of decomposition. All of them of various genders, various heights, shapes, sizes.

  But all of them united in one act.

  Stumbling towards Riley.

  He heard the creature on his left again. The one he’d tried to punch away. And he saw it rising. Saw it getting to its feet. Standing. Riley knew what was going to happen. He knew what was going to happen out here. He was going to die. The creatures were going to tear him apart.

  And then the opening in the wall…

  No. He didn’t want to think about the opening in the wall. He couldn’t think about the opening in the wall.

  He was a fighter. A survivor.

  He could do this.

  He battled to his feet, lightheaded, dizzy. Searing pains split across the left side of his chest, convincing him he was on the verge of cardiac arrest.

  No.

  He moved to the left of the creature he’d had the fistfight with. Ugly fucker. All sores covering its lips.