After The Rising by T.D Jackson (top fiction books of all time TXT) 📖

days on a bender" "Yeah but I have had some coffee since then... Well I think it was coffee might have been some gin in it" Jack put the pieces on a shelf of next to more assorted junk "Why? You barely got out the last time" "I saved your butt in the process if I recall correctly" Jack held up his hand to acknowledge the point. I opened up a book and pointed to a picture of an electrical component "This what Kane was talking about" Jack walked over and nodded "Yeah the centrifuge to spin down the samples you don't need the whole thing just that part" I nodded "So when are we going?" Toby asked leaning against the table "I am going tomorrow alone, I know the place you don't" "You took Jon" I slammed the book shut and glared at him, Jack stepped in between us "That's out of line" "He is going to kill himself!" Toby pointed at me "Look at him he can barely stand up straight" I was using the table to partially prop myself up but I was semi sort of sober "I'm not leaving today, I just need the component and the sample from the body wont take long" "What about London? On your own then?" I slammed a fist on the table "I don't know! I don't know, but I can fix this, I can stop this here and now no more people die" "Except you in the process" "Better just the one of us" I picked up the bag and walked to the door Toby blocked the way "Move" Toby shook his head I reached in to my pocket and pulled out my phone "Boss he's stopping me" I put the phone away and sat down. Toby was confused for about 30 seconds then a knock came at the door, Toby opened it, and three TRT members bundled him to the ground they struggled but eventually handcuffed him and dragged him away. He wouldn't even look at me as they took him away. Jack was shocked "He will be fine they will let him go when I come back" Jack looked at me with a sad look "It's for his own good Jack" "What if you don't come back?" I slung my bag over my shoulder "Well I will be to dead to care" I left

The rest of the day was made up of a trip to the armory for ammo and driving lessons from Steve. I got the hang of it quite quickly, he offered to come but when I turned him down I could see the relief in his eyes.We went home I went upstairs showered shaved and felt slightly less crap. I changed and went downstairs to eat. Ty had cooked, no one mentioned my three day absence but an awkwardness filled the air. I went upstairs and double checked everything I would need for tomorrow. Sky walked in and sat down "Going out tomorrow" "Yeah another scavenge" "Wasn't that what you were doing for the last three days?" I stopped what I was doing "Can I come?" "Afraid not darling to dangerous" "You said I could one day" "When your older" "I am older" "Not enough" "When?" "You can't come not even Toby is coming with me" "Where are you going?" I sighed "The hospital" "You almost died there last time you need help" "It's safer for just me to go" "I can go" "No you can't" I was getting angry now "When then?" "When I say!" I snapped. I didn't mean to I never snapped at her before "Sky" She ran out of the room crying. I flopped back on my bed. And fell asleep.

I woke up it was early. I got dressed did my hair for some odd reason, not sure who I was trying to impress. I had some breakfast smoked a lot and walked around in patiently the guards would not let me out till 8, it was 7. I stuck my head up in the loft "Sky" I called softly. No response "Sky...I'm Sorry" I went back down the ladder. I told Ty I was going. He grunted still half asleep glad he wasn't to worried.

I got in the car and drove to the checkpoint and waited. I was waved straight through Kane's doing I suppose,he didn't want me delayed by anything. The phone rang. I hit loudspeaker "Just leaving now boss" "How's the hang over?" "It could slay a walrus oh yeah sorry about the err bottle thing" "Bring the samples back we will call it even" "That's hardly even boss one of me vs. hundreds of zombies not really a comparison" "10 year prison sentence for attacking a military officer for a civilian" All right fair enough I will take it off one of the favors you owe me"

"How are you feeling? "Great I haven't been back to work in ages might bump in to some old friends have a chat a coffee" "Glad to see your sense of humor is back" "I might take you up on the shrink when I get back" Kane was silent for a moment "Just give me a time" "Thanks boss and that was a maybe not an I want" "Contact me when your there"

I was a quarter mile from the hospital when the car died. Using my extremely limited mechanical knowledge which mainly involved turning it off then on swearing and kicking it I gave up and got out "Wait!" I froze I knew that voice. I lifted up the boot lid, and Sky smiled up at me curled up in the boot "What are you doing?!" I held out a hand to help her out the boot "I'm here to help you" "No no chance we are going home now!" I turned to go back the way we came "But we are almost there" She pointed to the sign that indicated the hospital was the next left exit. I turned round "WE are going home then I am getting a better car and doing this alone" "Why?!" She screamed it "Do you want to die? Out here alone is that what you want? To leave me and Ty and Steve and Ryan alone?" I ran my fingers through my hair "No Sky that's not what I want but this is dangerous" "Then why not take Uncle Toby?" I couldn't answer it. Did I want to die was I giving up all the crap I had seen the lives I had taken was it finally taking it's toll on me? "I wish you hadn't come Sky if I lose any one else it's going to finish me off" "And what if we lose you?" She pleaded. My next decision I was going to regret I could feel it now, I could call Kane get a car sent out to pick her up and take her back but no I gave in "O.K come on" She smiled and fell into step beside me

"Ground rules you do exactly as I say or we turn right back understand?" "Yeah" "I mean it next if something happens to me" I took a silver tube the size of a cigarette lighter from my pocket with a red button on the side and handed it to her "It's a distress beacon get some where safe and hit the button Kane will come and get you" She took it and nodded. I stopped by a car and reached under the seat feeling round for a few seconds, then pulled out a small box that was taped under the seat. I handed it to her she opened it. The small handgun seemed massive in her small hands "You remember your shooting classes in school?" She checked the magazine the safety and weight expertly. I nodded "Don't fire unless I say understand?" "Yeah" "O.K come on we have a lot to do"

The Dynamic Duo

I was not happy taking Sky with me, I was half tempted to lock her back in the car boot but I don't think I would have been able to get her in, not unscathed anyway. The outside of the hospital was the safest place plenty of room to manoeuvre around the dead but inside, we could get cornered and trapped "How are we going in?" Sky asked. We stood across the road from the hospital. Two options the front entrance or the underground parking area. I elected for the front a few more dead but a lot ore space to move between them "O.K stay close to me" We jogged past the smoking area dodged a couple of dead and made our way through the disabled entrance, the revolving door was full of dead. The smell was amazing rot mould decay flooded up my nose. Sky gagged "You get used to it" She covered her mouth "Really?" "No not really but it gets slightly more tolerable, come on" I extended the baton, as we weaved our way past the news agents and the coffee shop, firing the gun would just attract more dead. We passed the pharmacy where me and Jon had set off an explosion a couple years earlier scorch marked still remained. Sky looked back at it "What happened there" "Had trouble with a microwave. There were less dead than the last time we were here, realising the food supply was exhausted they had fanned out. We went past the lifts and got to a couple of oak double doors. I stopped and pushed it open slightly. 8 beds a lot of blood well I assume it was blood a bad smell, a nurses station a couple of dead no problem "O.K in quick" We stepped in "Pass me that chair" Sky passed me a cheap plastic school chair and I threaded the legs through the handle. I advanced on the first creature wearing blue scrubs stained and shredded. It opened it's mouth and I stuck the spike of my baton in through the back of it's throat tilting upwards slightly to sever the brain stem. Dead as shit. I withdrew the baton and moved over to the second one a skinny blond lady in a patient gown. She lurched forward arms out, I caught her by the wrist and twisted it behind her stepping as I went so I could kick the back of her leg forcing her to her knees, then I drove my knife through the back of her skull she went limp and hit the floor as I let go of her wrist "Easy peasy" I said smiling at Sky, she was not smiling to busy puking in to a waste paper bin "Should of stayed at home" I lectured waving my finger. She gave me a dirty look and puked again. I laughed and walked behind the nurses station.

The centrifuge was not to heavy but needed a proprietary screwdriver to be opened, that was easily solved. I smashed it on the floor then stamped on it cracking the casing "Not very subtle" Sky said wiping her mouth "No but very effective" I pushed a few broken pieces out of the way and took the needed part slipping it in to my satchel. Then the