Free Safety Lost (Killing the Dead Book 3) by Richard Murray Page B

us.
    “All the noise will have attracted attention. We have no guarantee that we will be able to get out now, let alone in the morning.” I said.
    “I didn’t know what they were planning” she said after a short pause.
    “If I thought you had known then you would be dead too.” I replied and we continued walking along in silence.
    We reached the end of the concourse and Julie led the way into one of the shops. “This one has a fire exit at the back hopefully it won’t have any undead outside it.” She said.
    The shop was full of baggage and accessories for travel. It wasn’t as big as the outdoor section had been and we were soon standing beside a metal door marked ‘exit’ in large letters. Julie paused with her hand on the locking bar and looked at me.
    “Are you ready?” she asked.
    “Sure but put out the candle first.”
    “Oh, sorry.” She said and blew out the flame before pressing down on the locking bar and pushing open the door.
    When nothing burst through the doorway attempting to eat us, I lowered the crowbar and cautiously stepped outside. The night air was cold and it was raining but I couldn’t see anything moving out in the darkness.
    “Ok then, lead the way” I told her.
    Julie set off slowly, keeping to the side of the building. I wasn’t complaining as Emma was heavy and I suspected she had fallen asleep.
    She stopped at the corner of the building and peered around it before looking back at me. “I can see some shapes but can’t really make out much. I think it’s undead though and they are headed towards the front of the building” she said in a whisper.
    I nodded and whispered back, “They are likely going to try and get in through the front entrance. I doubt the barricade will last too long.”
    “Oh god, we should warn them.”
    “No point. Come on, we need to leave now while we can and find somewhere to wait until morning.” I said firmly.
    “If we cross the road here, there’s a housing estate. I used to drive past all the time on the way to work and most of them have garages or sheds.”
    “That will do until morning.” I told her, “Let’s go.”
     
     

Chapter 11
    Julie was sat with her back against the stack of cardboard boxes that lined the back wall of the garage. Emma was curled up in a ball next to her. I stretched and pulled open the side door.
    “Where are you going?” Julie asked quietly.
    “I want to see if the house has anything useful before we go” I said and then added “Watch Emma and wait here.”
    Frost covered the ground and every time I breathed out, a fine mist formed. The morning air was crisp and the sky was clear. Beyond the garden I could see the pale edifice of the outlet store rising above the trees.
    With a grin at the reminder of the last night’s violence I crossed the garden to the back door of the two floor semi-detached house, whose garage we had taken refuge in.
    I could see nothing moving in any of the gardens around me and a quick glance toward the street revealed it to be empty. I tried the door handle and found it to be locked so put the crowbar to good use.
    A sharp crack sounded loudly as the door broke open and I flinched at the noise. I was not quite the accomplished housebreaker that I would need to be to survive. I waited several minutes to ensure no zombies had heard and were on their way to eat me.
    When it seemed that all was clear I pushed open the door and entered the house. I moved from room to room, checking each for any threat and when I was sure that the house was empty I started searching for anything of use.
    It wasn’t a bad haul at all. I found several bottles of water and some chocolate bars for Emma. We had plenty of food that had been taken from the Cafe kitchens and I didn’t want to overburden us since it looked likely that we would be walking. A first aid kit was the most useful find and I carried my finds out to the garage and the girls.
    Emma was awake and rubbing at her eyes as I entered the