He understood the plan, which was why he never tried to leave. Instead, he moved down to the basement and waited for the neighbours’ screaming to stop and the airwaves to become white noise.

  He rushed through the undergrowth, trying to see any of the dead before they saw him, but there were none and he emerged into the bright sunshine at the cliff edge which looked down to the glistening blue waters, and the strange-looking boat cruising through them.

  It was a fishing trawler. Maybe from one of the islands, like Nantucket. Perhaps they laid low like he had, and were exploring inland. He wondered if they knew they had to keep going, that they were still too close to the cities to try and disembark at—

  Something crashed through a fence a few hundred feet to his right. Animated bodies staggered forward, breaking through bushes, taking the planks of wood with them as they tumbled down the mud wall to a grass embankment some twenty-feet below, the sound of their bones snapping on impact. Those on the boat either didn’t see or couldn’t hear the commotion as the trawler continued drifting to the concrete jetty on the opposite side of the river.

  Aiden stood upright and waved both hands. Maybe they would see him and see what was trying to get to them. People needed to be protected, they were an important resource.

  He quickly gave up waving, also knowing that shouting, even if he were close enough would be a bad idea as it might draw the dead to him, so he unclipped his radio from his belt and selected the auto-find option. The digital display rapidly increased until abruptly stopping and he held down the transmit button. “Anyone out there? If you’re on that trawler you better keep on going, as this whole area is—”

  A voice burst from his speaker, one that had a distinctive accent.

  “Hello? Who are you? Can you see us? Over.”

  “Look at the top of the cliff on your right, about a hundred yards from your current position. You should also see the dead falling to the bank below. That’s just a few, there’s—”

  He heard the thud of feet just in time to dive to his left and feel the fabric of a coat brush across his hand as the zombie toppled over the edge, its hands scrambling to grab a piece of him but failing.

  “We see the undead, but can’t see you!”

  He sat up a little, scanning the woods behind, then lifted the radio back to his mouth. “I have a place where you will be safe, but you need to go at least another ten miles upriver. Keep going until you see the castle! I’ll be waiting. Over.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  JENN

  Jenn looked to her left at the figures appearing in the distance, staggering over grass and concrete, moving towards the river. Between trees and bushes, she counted a few hundred but there was movement everywhere. The undead were leaking from every available building along the shoreline and it wouldn’t be long before there would be thousands. They looked the same as those she had seen back home, in the place that no longer existed.

  Enzo looked up at her. “What do you want me to do? Do we go ashore here, or go further upriver?”

  “We got the fuel to go further?”

  “Yes, maybe for another hour or so.”

  She looked at Lauren who was still seated at the radio set. “Has the man spoke again?”

  “No, he’s not responding.”

  Jenn looked at the bridge they were rapidly approaching. “Keep going.”

  The wheelhouse door opened and an individual entered who she secretly hoped would have been left behind in Scotland, but somehow had found his way onboard with his wife.

  Swanson moved inside. “We sure going up this river, is a good idea?”

  “Going ashore here would be suicide.”

  Swanson looked more directly at the brigadier, ignoring the bodies crashing into the river only tens of feet away. “We need water.”

  Jenn looked back at Lauren. “Keep trying to reach him. We need as much intel about this area as possible.” She glanced at Swanson as she moved past him. “We’ll have it soon.” Descending the narrow stairs, she opened the external hatch at the bottom and stepped out onto the deck, the noise the dead were generating suddenly becoming apparent. Tyrone, Aaron, Anita as well as others stood on the deck. The tallest of the three glanced over his shoulder at his CO, while aiming his rifle at those trying desperately to wade through the deepening water.

  “Tell me we’re going further up river?” said Aaron.

  Jenn held the frame of the bridge as the boat turned a little towards the centre of the bridge.

  “We are, for another hour. It will have to be far enough.” She walked forward to the bow where her two newest recruits were standing with their own weapons, aimed at the dead sinking into the mud on the riverbank.

  Clara glanced at the older woman approaching. “I heard we made contact?”

  Jenn nodded. “Yes, a local. Says he has a place upriver, a castle…”

  Clara looked back.

  “I know. But we might as well keep going as far as we can, anyway.”

  “Any sign of the military or federal authorities?”

  “Nothing on the radio.”

  Anita, who still carried burn scars on the left side of her face, nodded towards the bank on the right. “Not seeing any sign of a battle here. Maybe the military just abandoned these areas.”

  Jenn nodded. “They probably concentrated on the cities, and evacuating people there.”

  The hordes began to thin out as the chugging engine of the boat cruising through the gentle green-grey waters, became the loudest noise. They moved below the bridge, the boat’s sound echoing off the concrete of the road a hundred-feet overhead, and passed marinas on one side and expensive, large homes on the opposite, nestled within trees. This part of the country looked unspoiled by the virus, thought Jenn. Perhaps there were places here that had survived, due to the sheer distances involved between towns and cities. There was more space, more wilderness where a community could avoid the undead.

  The boat veered to the left then back to the right, while slowing. She turned and looked up at the wheelhouse. Enzo was waving for her attention. She was soon back inside, listening to the beeps coming from the screen near the captain. He steered to the left once more.

  “We cannot go much further. It is too shallow.” He pointed to the jagged digital graph. “See for yourself.”

  She observed the red lines, indicating the depth. It wasn’t a surprise. They were in a small ship designed for the sea with a large hull, not a river. She looked back out to the lush green forests and occasional buildings. There was no obvious sign of any movement.

  “Drop anchor here.”

  He immediately pulled back on the throttle.

  “Five of us will take the skiff up river, see if we can find this guy’s place or somewhere else to go ashore.” She looked at her watch. “I make it almost 10 a.m. We should be able to get this done by noon.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  JOE

  No conversation flowed between the five in the skiff as it cruised up the pristine glittering waters of the river. It had been similar on the larger vessel as soon as the undead were spotted on the banks. Joe had almost forgotten what they looked like. It was funny how quickly the mind can push horrors into the past, he thought, and the ten days it took crossing the Atlantic had allowed him and Liz to do just that. A world without the recently risen was almost imaginable within the never-ending waves, and most had hoped that even if they ran into the US navy, there would be somewhere they would be allowed to settle. Maybe a small island where they could make a community like what existed in Scotland. After what was done to their homeland, surely they would be given that? But seeing the undead appearing from yards, forests and parking lots, some stumbling, others running towards the river to get to the trawler, quickly killed everyone’s hope that this place would be any different.

  But, there had been a voice on the radio, so people had survived.

  “It’s beautiful here,” said Baldwin, observing the large houses amongst the trees and well manicured gardens.

  “I hitch-hiked through Connecticut before I joined the army,” said Anita.

  “Texas has always been my thing,” said Aaron. “I was stationed there for a while.”

  Joe looked at Clara, she too looked skinny compared to her old self, and the old wounds still plagued her. It appeared that the lifeform could not make people immortal. There was a limit to how much damage it could repair.

  “Feels good to be off that boat,” said Anita.

  “Yeah,” said Arron. “There’s a reason we never joined the navy.” He shared a smile with her.

  “Feels good,” said Clara. “To see land, even if they’re here…”

  “It’s a big country,” said Joe. “Plenty of places for people to survive.”

  “Big prepping community,” said Arron. “And lots of guns.”

  “I’m still surprised there’s no sign of the military, though,” said Anita

  “They learned from what happened in the U.K,” said Joe. “They probably quarantined these areas quickly to save the rest.”

  “Let’s hope…”

  The General’s voice came from Joe’s radio, prompting him to unclip it from his belt. “SITREP? Over,” she said.

  “We’re about three miles upriver. No sign of the undead or…”

  The skiff moved around a bank, the hills to their right becoming more pronounced. A beige brick building stood proudly at the landscape’s zenith.

  “That’s got to be the place,” said Anita.

  “Sure does look like a castle,” said Aaron.

  Joe held down the talk button. “I think we found the guy’s place. Over.”

  Aaron waved a finger towards a dock. “There’s someone over there. They just came out of that small building near the road. Yeah, yeah, he’s waving us towards him.”

  Joe scanned the riverside. Not only for the undead but for military. There was a road which ran to the river’s edge. Perhaps a ferry pickup point, and some old houses bordering it, but apart from that, the scene looked peaceful. He steered the tiller towards the dock. The man looked fidgety, he kept looking around him.

  It wasn’t long before the boat was drifting towards a small pebbly bank, close to where the road finished. The man jogged towards them, stopping a few feet away.

  “I’m Aiden,” he said.

  The boat hit up against the bank.

  “I’m Joe, this is Aaron, Clara, Nell and Anita.”

  “Your accent…”

  “We’re British…”

  The man, who was around six-foot with thick, unruly hair beneath a light-grey baseball cap, rubbed a bearded chin. “You folks are like an endangered species or something. You came all the way here on the trawler?”

  Aaron jumped off to the bank, bringing the skiff closer and tying it to a small iron peg. The others quickly followed.

  “Yeah. You have a place?” said Joe, as the others scanned the nearby woods for any sign of movement.

  “Any military around here?” asked Baldwin.

  “No, they left some days ago. Yes, I have a place. It’s at the top of this hill. About a fifteen minute walk and climb, follow me.”

  “How about water?” said Anita.

  Aiden nodded without turning around. “Yes. At the castle.”

  They quickly made their way across a small field, past some wooden sheds and into a heavily wooded area, which the sunlight had trouble penetrating.

  “I can’t see, shit,” said Aaron.

  The man glanced back as the ground grew steeper. “This is the quickest way to the top, and with all this cover they shouldn’t spot us.”

  Joe wanted to ask a hundred questions but he and everyone else was acutely aware of the sounds they were making as they made their way up the slope, crunching leaves, breaking twigs and having to hold on to tree roots at some points to pull themselves higher.

  Most were breathing heavily as they clambered over a particularly steep area, which then, thankfully, evened out. The trees also were sparser and the light-beige brickwork of an old styled multi-storey building became visible through the branches.

  As they came out from the tree line, the grandeur of the mock-castle was obvious for all to see, rising five floors into the sky with towers. Well cut gardens and a parking lot were just visible to the left.

  Aiden swung his attention both ways, while jogging across the grass. “Quickly.”

  Joe and the others ran to keep up, all of them arriving at what appeared to be a sun room attached to the ground floor. Some of the windows were broken others boarded with wood. Aiden slid a key into a padlock, pulling a chain free, pushed the door open then beckoned everyone inside, while he followed, replacing the chain and lock.

  Everyone waited for him to walk past and use another key to open a secure door. Joe couldn’t help but noticed the scratches and heavy gouges in the wooden boards.

  The door was pushed open and everyone moved inside to a cavernous space, filled with furniture covered in white sheets and boxes, some open, displaying their contents of bottled water and food packets.

  Aiden closed and locked the door, visibly sighing in relief. “Welcome to my humble abode. It was built by some rich guy in the 20s. It’s pretty secure. None of the dead have made it inside, yet.”

  Joe looked at the digital display on his radio, which showed there was no connection.

  “You can get a signal from one of the towers or the roof terrace,” said Aiden.

  Joe looked at the others. “You all okay here?” They nodded and he ran up the wooden steps, following the signs to the tower then walked past a series of closed doors to another set of stairs which he ascended, coming to a small landing, and tried the door to the outside. He stepped out onto a large, flat, rooftop area, bordered by merlons and pulled his radio from his belt, immediately seeing a signal and walked to the square gaps. Looking out across the woodland and the blue sparkling waters which snaked south, he began to click on the transmission button but stopped, instead breathing in the air which had a hint of dust contained within it. Amongst the forests there was no sign of danger. Perhaps this area was too remote. Perhaps it could be a home.

  CHAPTER SIX

  LIZ

  Liz hobbled forward, skilfully using her cane in accordance with the ever moving deck. During the first few days at sea she remained firmly rooted to the spot, which was the captain’s cabin, given to her, Tia, Hope and Joe by Enzo. He said he preferred the wheelhouse anyway, needing to keep a close eye on the radar and horizon for any sign of the enemy navy.

  While she refused to venture beyond the steel plates and rivets, Joe acting as her butler, but then the sea sickness took hold and she had no choice but to get up and make her way to the exterior deck and empty her stomach. This happened enough times for the route and sloping floor to become second nature to her, until at around the fifth day the sickness had passed and she regularly moved around the ship.

  She stood with a hand on the guardrail, looking at the lush vegetation and expensive houses, with moored speedboats at the end of their well-kept gardens.

  “It’s so beautiful here.”

  Liz looked to her right where Ember held her baby in her arms.

  Ember continued. “I always wanted to travel to America. It was something of a dream for me when I was younger, then I got interested in activism and found Greg’s group and got sidetracked…”

  The hatch opened behind and Sam, Maggie’s son emerged, smiled at Liz but then turned his attention to who he was looking for. “There you are,” he said to Ember. “Somehow I always manage to lose you on this boat.” He walked forward, placing a hand on her shoulder.

  She turned and smiled at him as he looked back at Liz. “Any word from Joe?”

  Liz shook her head.

  “I’m sure he’s okay.”

  You don’t know that, thought Liz. He was twenty-two, he didn’t know anything, but the affection he appeared to have for Ember appeared real, so that was something.

  The hatch opened again, another of the ship’s temporary residents appearing. Ada Huges was quickly followed by Candace and Jacob Trent. The three of them had usually spent time away from the other groups that had formed within the crew, with only Heather from the camp, preferring to spend her time with Mathew.

  Ada who had lost her husband, appeared constantly angry to Liz, not someone it was easy to have a conversation with.

  The Irish woman sneered, throwing a hand at the river bank. “I say we investigate those places when they’re back. Will at least be some food and a place to lay our heads for the night without the damn floor moving.”

  Jacob nodded. “Maybe we can get one of those boats working.”

  Liz continued looking at the river. “It’s up to Jenn and Joe. If this castle—”

  “Castle!” said Ada. “You mean some make belief place built by a rich American? It’s not going to stand up to the hordes if they attack, is it?”

  “I don’t know, depends what they find.” Liz had thought for a few days that some of the crew would go their own way once they made it to the States, even if they had all agreed to stick together. It was obvious some just did not get on with others. There was no way the group would hold together.

  The tallest of them, looked at Liz. “How you feeling?” said Candace.

  Liz smiled. “I’m okay. Still a bit sick in the morning, but the pills you gave me are helping.”

  “And the children?”

  Liz knew Hope was the doctor’s only interest. “Oh, they’re fine. They think we’re pirates.”

  Jacob snorted. “Not too far from the truth.”

  Liz nodded, looking back to the landscape. “That’s what I told them.”

  The hatch opened, Owen peering out. “They have heard from Joe. He says we should all go to the castle. It’s secure.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CLARA

  A warm soft breeze caressed Clara’s face as she stood on the rampart looking out towards the river, which headed north. Was this a dream? A princess in a castle, overlooking a kingdom riven by monsters. She snorted. She loved fantasy as a child, it was what got her into reading books and ultimately a career as a librarian. But the reality of living inside a fairytale wasn’t as fun as she remembered it being. On the horizon columns of smoke rose into the sky, producing a greyish layer above the forest covered hills.