“Stop!” Miles shouted again, “Take one more step… take one more step and you’ll get hurt!”
Castle grinned, “Look--” When Castle brought his foot down the snap under it was so fast he thought at first a bee had stung him. Until he felt the biting pain circling around his calf in the form of a steel bear trap. The military man fell to the ground, screaming in agony.
“Please… take the trap off and get out of here. And don’t come back.” Miles kept his gun trained on the man as he rolled around on the ground.
Castle pointed his assault rifle and opened fire on the redwood, splintering it with bullets. Miles ducked away and scurried to another tree, keeping low to the ground. Castle screamed and unloaded his clip until he was empty, then snatched the handgun from his pants.
“Don’t fire anymore bullets!” Miles called from somewhere, echoing through the trees. “Infected are starting to move nearby and if, and if you keep shooting you won’t have any bullets to get back to the others.”
Castle looked around, not seeing any infected freaks and fired wildly into the woods. “Fuck you, you little fuck! Fuck you! Arrgah!” The trap on his leg bit deeper and he winced and punched the ground. Then he fired again. Bang. Bang.
“Twelve, eleven, ten!” Miles counted out.
“Fuck you!”
Bang.
“Nine.”
Castle fired twice more when he saw a figure move through the trees but hit nothing.
“You have to go. You have to go back to your people.” Miles’ voice seemed to be coming from everywhere in the forest. The rustling of leaves grew louder and Castle looked back and forth, whipping his head around at any sound. He saw some figure standing in the distance and aimed his handgun. He held his breath and fired twice, hitting the figure in the head and tearing its jaw off.
The figure dropped and it was a wide-eyed freak with gray skin and barely any clothes. Two more slow moving creeps started stumbling out and Castle aimed at them. He took another breath in. Held it. Then fired and took out one of the lurkers with a shot to the forehead. Then he aimed at the last one and fired before lining up his shot. The lumbering creature shook and bounced with each step and the bullet whizzed by and clipped its ear. The once man-thing in a t-shirt and jeans started to jog a bit and Castle fired again, only chipping the thing’s shoulder.
The monster snarled and ran faster, leading with its teeth. Castle tried to jump to his feet but dropped from the pain of the trap still around his right ankle. He aimed again and screamed while the freak screamed back at him. Bang. Bang. Both shots to the torso but the creature kept coming. Then Miles came from behind a tree and swung up his Dragunov, aiming at the back of the creature’s head. One shot. Bang. And the infected person dropped to the ground right in front of Castle. The army man looked at Miles, standing in front of him, and aimed his handgun.
“You’re out.” Miles said.
Castle pulled the trigger and the gun clicked. He pulled the trigger again and it clicked again. He screamed and winced when he tried to stand, only to fall back down.
“You should’ve left. You should’ve went back to your people. You should’ve left. Now you don’t have any bullets.” Miles scolded the man as he rolled around in pain.
Then they both froze when they heard a scream, piercing through the trees. It was loud. It could be heard for miles. It was a siren. Miles felt his heart starting to race. He thought to where the scream could be coming from and knew it wasn’t anywhere near the treehouse. Any infected in the woods would be going in the opposite direction. But that was also the direction of Ms. Julia and the others. And Alana. Miles took off running in the direction of the screaming.
“Hey! Hey! Don’t leave me out here!” Castle called after him but before long the boy was gone.
Then he heard more footsteps coming through the trees and saw groups of infected starting to run towards the sound. Then some saw Castle, sprawled on the ground and went sprinting to where he was. The military man grabbed his assault rifle and pulled the trigger. Click, click, click. Then he aimed his handgun. Click, click. The monsters were on him before he had time to scream.
In the deep woods, Burrows howled with a scream that went from deep moans to loud shrieking while his body twisted and contorted to press the wailing out of him. He was a puppet to his agony with no understanding of what was causing him to scream and what was keeping him going. Julia and the others watched in a terror as Burrows’ face turned red and his eyes rolled back in his head. Alana screamed at the sight and tried to run away, but Tommy wouldn’t let her go.
Torrez called to Burrows, over and over but he was too distracted by the hordes of infected people who were coming straight for him. He was managing to hold them off with the spray from his shotgun but every time he pumped his Remington, he prayed that it would keep the demons from getting him. Lance collapsed and pissed himself from fear. It had been so long since he’d seen the infected and now he was reminded why they were so fearsome.
The infected barely looked human. Some had gashes and giant wounds, gaping with hanging skin and flesh. But the virus propelled their bodies until it couldn’t move anymore. Manson watched the parade of freaks, strikers, and lurkers, become what could only be described as a hive. Not in the conventional sense but the collective moans and growling did sound similar to buzzing. The doctor then looked to where everyone was directed. His siren. His creation. He had injected Burrows and after what seemed like an eternity, there was finally a reaction. The sample Manson took was special and he could use it to identify the difference between strains of the virus. It was an accident at first, but the ends justified the means in the doctor’s mind.
“Incredible.” Manson whispered under his breath.
“Everyone run to the van!” Julia shrieked, trying to scream over the howling man, Burrows.
“Burrows damn it! What’s wrong with you?” Torrez called to the screaming man but Burrows didn’t respond. He did however pull the trigger on his gun and randomly shot Torrez in the gut. “Aye!” Torrez aimed his shotgun at Burrows and shot him in the chest, dropping the screaming man to his knees.
“No!” Manson called out involuntarily. Burrows continued screaming through gargling blood and fits of coughing, but the shotgun blast left his chest ruined.
“Cmon!” Julia went running, not waiting for anyone any longer and hoping they got the message.
Alana snatched away from Tommy and tried to urge him to his feet, “C’mon Tommy! You gotta run! I’ll help you!”
Tommy just screamed and begged for someone to save him. “Grandpa Clint! Grandpa Clint!” The boy cried out but his grandpa was nowhere to be seen. “What are we going to do Alana? Nobody can save us! Nobody can!”
Torrez came running towards them and pushed Alana, “Go girl!” He held his side and looked down at Tommy. The boy was panic stricken and glued on the infected headed their way. Torrez shook his head and started running again, before seeing the scientist still watching Burrows. “Manson, move your ass or get left!”
Manson snapped out of it and saw the hive was closer and even though they were still aimed at Burrows, many were still looking to kill anything that was moving. The doctor took off running, chasing Torrez and the others; Julia leading the way the best way she could. She was looking around and hoping they were heading in the right direction towards the highway. It all just looked like trees for miles from left and right and straight ahead.
“Tommy!” Alana screamed out when she looked back to see the throngs had reached him and were ripping him apart. They even tore through the bodies wrapped in plastic.
“Lance!” Torrez called out to him but he knew it was over. Lance hadn’t got up from where his wife was and instead curled into a ball, trying to shield her body. The hive washed over him and he was ravished by human shaped hyenas.
“Are we going the right way? Is this the right way?” Manson was terrified.
Boom. Boom. Torrez blasted his shotgun at the faster spr
inters that were still chasing the group and not having a dog pile on Burrows. The screaming had died down but that didn’t stop half a dozen freaks from tossing about the siren that called them all here. Some were even starting to scream on their own and creating even more of a frenzy.
“They’re learning! The virus is learning! Reacting to whatever was in Burrows and made him the way he was!” Manson watched a screaming, six-foot seven man charge at him with his arms at his side, hooting and inciting other freaks to follow him. “Remarkable.” Manson said.
Torrez fired his shotgun and splattered the tall freak. “Shut the fuck up and run--” The marine tripped as he was back pedaling and fell. With boggling heads and whooping hollers, three infected children ran at Torrez and he fired his Remington. After spraying them away however, the shotgun was out of ammo. He tossed the weapon aside and pulled a handgun from his side. He saw the others stop for a second, contemplating helping him. Torrez fired his gun into the dozens of infected running at him and yelled, “Just go!”
They did. But none of them knew how long they would be able to keep going. They weren’t even sure they were headed in the right way.
“We’re going to die!” Alana cried.
“I can’t die here!” Manson whimpered. “I can’t die like this! I’m supposed to save the world!”
Julia ran and ran and jumped over everything in her way. She dodged trees and sprinted through bushes. She looked back to see Alana struggling to keep up and Manson not far behind her. But drawing closer with each second was the thick crowd of infected, being led by three of four screaming lunatics. All hoped seemed lost. Until an air horn could be heard shrieking through the trees. Everything in the woods stopped and Julia turned to see a small boy off in the distance, squeezing a horn in his hand, high above his head.
“Miles--” Julia choked and tears started pouring down her cheeks.
The hive turned in unison and went running to where Miles was. The boy dropped down to one knee. He fired from his rifle four times and with each shot he took out the screaming infected that were sirens for the horde. He raised his horn again and went running into the woods, disappearing as dozens of strikers went chasing after him.
***
After escaping to the highway, Julia, Alana and Dr. Manson walked down the road to find the van parked where they left it. Julia jumped in the driver’s seat and the others climbed in the back. They looked out the windows and waited forever for anyone to come out of the woods. Castle went chasing after Miles and never came back. Clint took off running on his own and nobody was sure which way he went. The others were presumed dead.
“We have to go Julia!” The scientist was looking left and right, peering out the windows afraid to see any more infected appear. “We can’t wait here any longer! The boy said it’s worse at night.”
“And now you want to listen to what he said?” Julia snapped around, “After he just sacrificed himself to save us from all those monsters!”
Manson looked at her curiously, “And I’m grateful for his sacrifice. But it doesn’t mean anything if we stay here and get ourselves killed.”
Alana sat in her seat, crying and sniffling. “Oh Tommy. Tommy, why didn’t you get up? Why didn’t you run?” She whispered to herself and continued crying softly before wiping her face with the collar of her shirt.
Julia looked out the windshield, hoping to see Miles come running out to join them and be alright. But with each passing minute she felt that possibility fading more and more.
“We have to go Julia. We can’t stay here. They’re all dead.” Manson looked at Alana when she started to cry harder, “I’m sorry but it’s true. It’s true.” He leaned forward to put his hand on the driver’s seat.
Julia let out a deep sigh and turned the key. The van squealed and it startled her. She forgot she already started the engine and left it idle. She shifted gears and looked out the window again, seeing something stumble from the tree line. It was a scrawny figure with thin arms and a thin frame wearing a gray sweater hanging off its body. Julia turned the van onto the road and started back home. Back to the Costco.
“Finally.” Manson plopped down on his seat. “We have to hurry back. The strand I injected into Burrows is still in my laboratory.”
“Wha--what did you say?” Julia looked at him through the rearview mirror.
The doctor looked back at her with low eyes, “It wasn’t something that was planned but the results were something that a scientist like myself couldn’t dream of experiencing.”
“What the hell are you saying Manson?”
Manson paused to gather his words. “I injected Nathan Burrows with a sample of the virus that I retrieved from Chris Anderson’s remains.”
“What?” Alana looked at the doctor strangely.
Julia’s eyes were filled with more anger, “What the fuck did you just say? Are you saying you infected Burrows? That you stuck him with something and that’s why he freaked out like that?”
“There was no telling what would have happened to him. No way of knowing that would be the results. But to be there, to see it happen, out among the other infected people and watch them react to it. It was amazing. Quite simply amazing.”
A right hook came from the scientist’s left and he dropped from his seat. Alana had took a swing on him and cradled her right hand after the hit. “You killed them! You killed everyone!”
“No. Little girl, no.” Manson held his jaw then guarded himself when Julia tried reaching back to hit him.
“You did that Manson! You infected Burrows and he turned into one of those fucking sirens and called those other freaks!” The van swerved and Julia had to turn back around to focus on driving.
“I had no idea that something like that would happen!” Manson yelled back, pushing Alana back when the girl tried to swing on him again.
“But you knew he was infected! Miles knew he was infected! He knew! Goddamn it! Why didn’t we listen?!” Julia started striking the steering wheel.
“It was an accident. I didn’t infect him on purpose. But you have to see the scientific breakthrough that we just witnessed and how it will accelerate my work.”
“Fuck you Dr. Manson!” Alana screamed at him.
“You don’t understand. None of you understand. It won’t be until I’ve cured the virus and saved the world will any of you understand.”
“Fuck you Bob!” Alana screamed at him again.
“Don’t you speak to me like that!” Manson rose his voice.
“Hey!” Julia was about to turn and look back but she saw black smoke in the distance.
“Is that… is that the store?” Alana was leaning forward.
The van sped up and when they turned off the exit to the Super Costco, they saw the entrance to the store had a large hole in the shutters and infected people were running in and out, going crazy. There were fires inside the store and screams could be heard coming from inside.
“Oh my god.” Julia covered her mouth, then searched the front seat for her radio.
“What… what happened?” Alana’s lip was shaking.
“Hello? Is anyone there?!” Julia called through the radio but heard nothing but static back. “Hello!”
“No. No, no, no!” Manson watched the creatures going in and out the store, feeling his stomach drop. “My lab!” He tore open the sliding door and went running through the parking lot.
“Hey!” Alana screamed.
“Manson! Get back here!” Julia called after the doctor, but he was halfway across the lot and the infected were starting to chase after him. He managed to dodge many of the freaks and make his way into the store, but the number of creatures going in after him was foreboding.
“Hello, Julia?” A voice came through the static of the radio.
“Hello?! Hello?!” Julia held the radio tight in her hand.
“Julia… it’s Nadine. Over.”
“What happened here? Nadine what happened?”
“That lady. Karen…
she came back. She set off a grenade at the front of the store. She killed a lot of people.” The radio buzzed and Nadine came back on, “She killed Ben.”
Alana slumped in her seat, awash with grief. She was wailing and kicking around.
“Nadine, what happened to Captain Baker… where’s Carver?” Julia was choking on her words and biting back tears.
“Major Carver went chasing after Antonio. He broke out, ran away. Captain Baker…” The radio went quiet again, then she came back, “There were just so many freaks that broke in. The hive must’ve came back or something.” The woman sniffled on the other side of the radio. “Lots of people ran! Some tried to hide in the store. I just watched it all happening from the security room. I should’ve ran a long time ago.”
“Nadine… Nadine, where are you? Can you get out? Can you make it to the parking lot?” Julia looked around, seeing nothing but carnage everywhere. The infected lurkers shambled about mindlessly and the fast moving strikers ran back and forth looking for anything to kill.
“I should’ve left instead of just watching from the screens.” Nadine’s voice came back through the radio with a loud banging in the background. “They trapped me in the office in the back. I can’t get out.” She sniffled and the banging got louder with inhumane moans. “Just go Julia! Get out of here before--” There was a loud crash then the radio went to static.
“Nadine…?” Julia put the radio right to her ear. “Nadine, can you hear me? Over.” Julia started to cry and put a hand over her face.
“It’s those boy’s fault! They did this!” Alana was screaming in the back, crying her eyes out.
Julia turned around and tried to go to her, but was still buckled in. “Alana…”
“They did it! They did all this! If they never showed up… if they never showed up, none of this would’ve happened!” Alana had her face pressed against the window, blubbering with snot coming out of her nose.
Julia popped her seat belt and went to sit next to her, “Alana… it’s ok. It’s ok.”
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