Free Star Drawn Saga (Book 1): Death Among The Dead: A Zombie Novel by Stephen Charlick

reached Tom and Fran. ‘These are the nice people that are going to look after you and take you somewhere safe….this is Fran and this is…’
    ‘Tom,’ said Tom, smiling at Peter as he knelt down to run his fingers through the dog’s thick fur, all the while holding the young man’s sorrowful gaze. ‘And who do we have here, hey?’
    ‘Bella,’ Peter softly replied, his hand automatically reaching up to fiddle with his ear again. ‘Her name is Bella.’
    ‘My, she’s a beauty,’ said Tom, giving the bitch a well-received rub and clap on her side. ‘Hey, I’ve got an idea…’ he continued, moving his hand to scratch Bella under her chin, ‘How about you and Bella come with us in our cart. We’re going to a real live castle… it’s on a big island surrounded by the sea, so you’d both be safe from the bad people… would you like that, Peter? Would you like that for you and Bella?’
    ‘A castle, Petey,’ said Sharon, trying her best to keep her crumbling emotions in check, ‘does… doesn’t that sound nice.’
    ‘And Riley will be there as well. You like Riley, don’t you, Petey,’ came Max’s voice unexpectedly from behind them.
    Stood next to him was another man; similar in appearance yet somehow different or softer, Fran assumed this was Max’s brother.
    ‘That is if you’ll take us with you too?’ Max continued, directing his words this time to Tom.
    Ignoring Max’s request for the moment, Tom slowly rose to his feet and turned back to Peter.
    ‘Sharon just wants you to be safe, Peter,’ he said, while Bella continued to lick and nuzzle at his hand, ‘and… and if there was any way she could stay with you, you know that she would, don’t you?’
    Reluctantly nodding his understanding, Peter wiped his runny nose noisily against his sleeve.
    ‘Are… are you going to send her to Jesus?’ he finally said, his sad childlike eyes looking questioningly at Tom.
    ‘I…ermm,’ Tom mumbled, looking from Peter to Sharon, unsure what to say.
    Without speaking, Sharon closed her eyes and simply nodded.
    ‘Yes, Peter,’ sighed Tom, realising in a terrible situation like this even those with the innocence of a child deserved the truth, ‘to save her from becoming one of the bad people, I’m… I’m going to send her to Jesus.’
    For a moment Peter seemed to process this information, his fingers tugging nervously at his earlobe while he slowly came to a decision.
    ‘She’ll be with Mum, Dad and Pops,’ he mumbled, a new set of heavy tears filling his eyes.
    ‘Peter,’ Sharon whispered, turning her brother to face her as she wiped away her own fresh tears. ‘Remember, I will always love you and… and…’
    Unable to say any more, she pulled her brother into one last tight hug and then forcibly pushed him away at arm’s length.
    ‘I…I need you to go with Fran now, Petey,’ she coughed, her words breaking through the ball of grief building in her chest.
    ‘But…’ Peter began to say.
    ‘Petey… please… please, I need you to go now,’ she almost begged, closing her eyes so she didn’t have to look upon the pain, despair and abandonment  inevitably etched upon her brother’s face.
    Fran walked over to the young man with the mind of a child and slowly slipped her hand in his.
    ‘It’s time to go, Peter,’ she said softly, giving his fingers a gentle squeeze of reassurance, ‘come on… let me get you back to our cart… come on.’
    Silently Peter let himself be led away, step by slow and reluctant step; Bella at his side, mirroring his movements, unsure why she was leaving Sharon behind.
    ‘Will…will you tell Mum and Dad I’ve been good,’ he finally said, turning one last time to look at his tearful sister.
    ‘I’ll…I’ll tell them you’ve been the best,’ Sharon only just managed to say, her shaking fingers dancing across her mouth as if to keep the sobs from breaking past her lips.
    With a sad smile flashing briefly across his face, Peter turned and