Read Online Devouring The Dead (Book 2): Nemesis by Russ Watts - Free Book Online

the fifth house they had broken into today. Together with Harry, she had managed to gather a few supplies and she knew he had found some useful things for Caterina. They hadn’t ventured too far from the others, from home as it currently was. They were still on the same street, just a few doors down. The back gardens made for a difficult path between the houses. Often they had to climb over fences or through thick hedges, but it was safer than the other option. The first day out together, they had tried to take the road, but had instantly drawn an unwelcome following of zombies and had soon abandoned that idea. So, they stealthily crept through undergrowth, accruing scratches on their hands and arms, but still alive.
    Moira heard Harry’s footsteps above her, and looked around. They had come directly into a dining room . She saw a large table with six high-backed chairs around it in the centre, various cupboards and shelves around it against the walls. The window at the far end looked out onto the road and the curtains were not drawn, so she kept low and scuttled over to them, pulling the curtains shut quickly. Standing up again, she could now look around easier. On one shelf she noticed a stack of books and reading the titles found one she liked the look of.
    “ The Shawshank Redemption ,” she said aloud. She stuffed it into her bag. Just because it was the end of the world didn’t mean she had to give up reading. She still pined for her days at the library, but they would never return, so now she took the opportunity to read whenever she could. Such peaceful times were rare.
    Past the stairs, she saw the kitchen through an open doorway and made straight for the cupboards. Most were empty. It was a common occurrence which was extremely annoying. Moira reckoned that a lot of people had left, trying to escape the infection, and had probably taken most of their food with them, leaving only perishables behind. Moira found nothing of use, only mouldy biscuits and a cereal box that had fed a mouse or a rat until it was used up. There was nothing she could add to her collection of tin cans, so she tried the fridge. Moira found something green and mouldy growing at the back, and a carton of milk that smelt very off. Yet again, she had drawn a blank and found nothing edible.
    The kitchen was proving to be useless. The sink was full of dirty dishes and cutlery, cups and mugs, idling in stagnant water. The plants on the kitchen sill were covered in mildew and cobwebs hung from every corner. She peered through the peephole in the doorway and looked out onto the street outside. It seemed deserted and they wanted to keep it that way. She thought she might go upstairs to help Harry when she noticed another doorway at the back of the kitchen and she pushed it open. The room was quite dark, just a small amount of light coming through a tiny oblong window which was open and letting in a cool draft. It was actually pleasant, much better than the stale air in the kitchen.
    Moira looked around the utility room: a washing machine, a basket of wooden pegs, a shelf full of cloths, polish and bleach. Against one wall was a chest freezer. A pool of water surrounded it on the flat concrete floor. Moira noticed on the lid a photograph in a small six by four silver frame. Approaching it, she saw the picture was of a young boy eating a chocolate ice-cream, his hair blowing in his face, and a sunny beach in the background. Against all the darkness the boy’s smile was radiant and Moira smiled herself.
    Either side of the frame were two candles that had burned themselves down to nothing but stumps. Low blackened wicks stood proud ly in pools of dried wax. On the freezer lid rested a bouquet of flowers that had long since wilted and withered away. Moira picked them up and felt them crumble in her hands, the brown crusty petals tumbling to the floor, brittle stalks snapping easily in her fingers. The freezer suddenly jolted, and surprised, Moira