Prey for the Dead [Book 3] by C.A. Earl

Author:C.A. Earl [Earl, C.A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Zombies
Published: 2017-12-29T05:00:00+00:00

~ 11 ~

Matt Reilly knocked back a final mouthful of strong, earthy coffee and reclined in his chair. The leisure centre cafe, modified to accommodate higher numbers, resonated around him with mumbling chatter among the sounds of scraping cutlery and chinking crockery. The hubbub could have come from any morning in any cafe before the world had turned to shit...

‘Alright Matt?’ came a gruff voice from behind him, followed by a firm slap on his shoulder. ‘Didn’t realise you were still here.’

The voice belonged to Ray Beckwith, a square-jawed fortysomething local ex-boxer that Matt had known quite well even before the bombs had started to fall. Unbeknown to Ray, Matt had known the man’s young, recently deceased wife even better.

‘Should be going tomorrow’ replied Matt. ‘Hoping for somewhere near the coast.’

The larger man shrugged his broad shoulders. ‘Wish they’d let me know when I’m s’posed to go. I’m getting fuckin’ sick and tired o’ this place.’

‘Better than being out there with those things’ answered Matt. ‘Anyway, it should only be a few more days at the most’ he added, looking around the roomful of tables where men, women and a handful of children were enjoying the earliest of four breakfast shifts. ‘And at least it’s a lot better in here than it was.’

The other man acknowledged Matt’s comment, recalling the first few days at the centre when there was barely room to breathe.

‘Saw your girlfriend go earlier.’

Matt scowled. ‘She wasn’t my girlfriend.’

‘Right, right. You knew who I was talking about though, you dirty dog.’

After a lengthy pause Matt leaned back, trying but failing to hide his annoyance. ‘All the best, Ray’ he said, suddenly taking the other man’s hand and shaking it vigorously. ‘I’ve got a fair bit to do today so I might not see you before I go. Hope everything works out for you.’

Ray Beckwith looked momentarily confused but gave a slow nod and retrieved his hand before backing away. ‘Yeah, yeah. You too. Look after yourself...’

As the other man faded into the background, Matt pushed his chair back and stood up, empty plate and mug in hand. The constant chatter continued around him as the sense of self-loathing returned, making him pause again. He had been attracted to Paige and clearly that was no secret, even though she had shown little interest in him beyond having someone to share a joke with. There were things he couldn’t forget, however. The brutal deaths of his wife and son were still there in his head, as visceral as ever, making him hate himself. He had been a cheating bastard, of that there was no doubt, but could it be that he was actually developing a conscience?

‘Get a move on’ spoke a gravelly but muffled voice at his shoulder, making him jump. Matt turned to see his own reflection in the dark goggles of one of the black-garbed soldiers. As usual the soldier’s features were obscured by a mask. ‘Clean your plate and get back to the main hall.’

Matt’s eyes narrowed.

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