Shawn grabbed her around the throat with both hands, squeezing as hard as he could, his eyes crazy with vengeance. Angela fought against him but his grip was too strong. As she stared at him, his face suddenly morphed into Sarah's. Maggots started pouring out of Sarah's head and mouth. Angela started to freak.
Squirming desperately in his grip, she found the knife in the sheath on her belt. Freeing it, she thrust it into Shawn's stomach, screaming, "I killed you!"
Sarah's face turned back to Shawn's, who let go of her throat and clutched his stomach, backing away.
Angela was confused for a second. Feeling remorse at what she'd done, she took a step towards him, wanting to hold him, to comfort him, until she pictured him choking her. "It was you and me!" she screamed. "We could have had it all!"
The pain in Shawn's stomach only increased his anger towards her. "You crazy bitch," he said. "Do you remember me telling you I just like to hit it and run?" Shawn threw a straight right at Angela's jaw, the pain in his gut screaming at the act. He hit her so hard her head slammed against the door before she fell to the floor. Rolling over, unconscious, a tooth spilled out of her mouth. "Yep," he said, "works for me."
He was about to leave when a crazy thought popped in his head. "Reminds me of a Christmas song," he said bitterly. Turning to stare at her he wished she was conscious. He did his best to improvise. "What's that?" he said, cupping his hand over his ear. "You want to know which one? 'All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth!'" He chuckled at the joke then turned to Melissa. "Let's get the hell out of here."
"Are you okay?" Melissa asked, staring at the knife handle protruding from his stomach.
Looking down at the knife, his face wrinkled. "Just a flesh wound."
Melissa looked at him like he was crazy. "What about her?"
Shawn bent down and picked Angela's gun off the floor. Pointing at her stomach he said, "Let's see how you like it." The gun went off and Angela's body briefly jumped. Her eyes suddenly bulged open and a high-pitched shriek filled the room. Melissa pulled Jason into her, shaking with fear. Angela's eyes closed once again, and she went limp.
Shawn grabbed the door handle and Melissa yelled out, "Wait! Oh my God. Infected are everywhere!"
Blood was leaking from the knife wound, and Shawn's eyes seemed to blur over for a moment. "Let me get my guns. They're in the corner."
"We can't go out there," Melissa pleaded, clutching Jason to her chest.
Shawn strapped an M-16 over his shoulder and stuffed several handguns in various holsters. "You can stay here if you want, but if there's infected, others are in trouble."
"I have Jade's baby!" Melissa said loudly. "I need to keep him safe."
Shawn looked at Jason and shrugged. The blood loss and toxin were affecting his judgement. "Then get into her cellar and lock the door. I'll send somebody back for you once it's safe."
Staring at the knife again, Melissa choked back a tear. "You're not okay. You're bleeding. You need to let me patch you up."
A weak smile crossed Shawn's face. "I thought I might find love here. There is no more love. There's only this," he said, pointing his head towards the front door. "This is what I have left to give."
Moving to the front door, he placed his hand again on the knob. Pausing for a second, he said quietly as he stared at the knob. "Go to the cellar. Be safe and have a good life." He opened the door and slipped out, closing it behind him.
CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR
In order to avoid the infected, Mace had been forced to kick open a grate and crawl under a house. He'd lost the walkie talkie as it was ripped off his waist as he squeezed through the grate. One had followed him under, and he'd killed it with his bare hands to avoid attracting others with gunfire. His hands were bloody from bashing in its head.
As he watched their legs pass in the rain, he suddenly heard the steady firing of M-16's as a group moved out in the street to wage war against the invaders. The legs out front quickly changed direction, and he was surprised at the numbers that continually moved past.
Hoping that the camp was getting some control back, he felt hope fade as the gunfire slowly stopped, one gun at a time, replaced by screams. Several explosions followed. The camp was falling.
All he could think of was Jason and Jade. He couldn't just sit and wait. He needed to know that they were safe. They were everything to him. Without them, he didn't think he'd have the will to continue on.
As he lay there under the house thinking of his family's safety, an infected tripped and fell right by the opening. Surprised, Mace lifted his head, banging it on the wood overhead. "Shit," he said softly. Not softly enough. He could see the redness of the eyes glare in his direction. The moans started immediately as its hands reached inside and it started pulling itself in.
He was about to crawl towards it to take it out when he saw other legs move in the direction of the crawlspace. More were coming.
He maneuvered himself around as quickly as he could, searching for another grate to escape from. It was pitch black under the house. The first infected was fully inside, and Mace could hear another scraping through. The crawlspace was filled with moisture, and as Mace army-crawled his way through, his elbows and knees got soaked. He hit a puddle and felt something long slither over his legs.
The puddle became deeper the further he crawled, and he realized there was a slant. He was going downhill. He thought there might be more room to maneuver, so he felt in the darkness and discovered he had a few more inches of space. Feeling between the support beams, he tried to crouch and press his back against the floorboards. There was barely enough room and he couldn't get any kind of leverage.
There were now two infected fully inside, and he could hear their grunts and moans as they crawled closer. He dropped back down and slithered as fast as he could down the slant until the water was several inches deeper and getting close to his chin.
With this much moisture under the house, there had to be wood rot, he thought. He stopped again, feeling for the support beams and positioning his back between them. This time he was able to get his legs under him, and he pushed with all his might. The wood was wet, which was good, so he pushed until he thought his back would break. He could feel it flex, but it wouldn't break.
More infected were now inside, and the first one was within a few feet. Sweat was dripping down his face as he tried again. He felt the wood flex some more and then heard the first crack. He repositioned his legs and pushed harder, groaning from the effort. His lower back felt like it was about to seize up, when the wood cracked even more, giving him a few more inches of leverage.
Mace could feel a hand scrape against his right foot. He pulled it away and was able to place himself into a tight squat. His teeth clenched as he pushed until his legs started shaking. A hand wrapped around his ankle as the floorboard broke fully, and he pushed upward, ripping through old carpet. He suddenly found himself waist high in an empty house. He could sense a large object right next to his face. Touching it, he could feel a bed frame and mattress. He was in a bedroom. Three more inches and he never would have been able to pass through.
He pulled himself up and out of the hole, scraping up his legs in the process. He could feel blood dripping down his upper back and a tremor flowing through his lower spine as he went.
The hand was still gripped to his ankle as he pulled his legs through. The infected's face suddenly appeared, and Mace kicked at its head repeatedly with his free foot, feeling its face slowly turn to mush. It finally sunk back into the crawlspace, letting go of his ankle.
Moans from directly underneath the crawlspace let him know others would be popping up any second. He needed to move.
He raced through the house in the darkness, bumping into tables and walls as he searched for the front door. Finding it, he tried looking through the peephole. He couldn't see a thing.
He could hear one crest the hole in the bedroom, so he took a deep breath and opened the front door a few inches. There were none on
the front porch.
He opened the door and stepped out, closing it quietly behind him. There were plenty out on the street, but none had noticed him yet. The rain had died down considerably, and the wind was now at least bearable.
CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE
The children were on the bus. Once Alexi pulled the bus next to the jail, they all made a mad dash, flying down the stairs. Working together, they created a safe zone until all had safely boarded.
"Where to, Woody?" yelled Hot Dog, out of breath from staying outside and being the last to board.
"To help. We pick up survivors. And call me Peter."
"What? We could just leave right now!"
"No, this is Neverland, and we never let the pirates win!"
While the bus was being loaded, Woody found his special blocks behind the driver's seat. "Out," he said to Lexi, who was still sitting behind the driver's seat.
"What?"
"I found my blocks."
"I can still drive!"
Woody did his best to mimic her voice. "I don't know how to drive and I'm going to puke all over you."
"Shut up, you jerk!" Alexi said as she climbed out of the seat.
Getting into the driver's seat, Woody looked at himself in the mirror. "I need a new hat," he said, as he patted his hair.
Outside, the infected had surrounded the bus again, pounding and pushing on the yellow metal. None of the children seemed overly concerned.
Alexi rolled her eyes at his preening. "Could we just go?" she asked.
Looking at the kids in the rear-view mirror, Woody yelled, "Get 'em, boys!"
Once they'd free themselves from the jail cells, they'd recovered their confiscated slingshots, rocks, and spears. The windows on the bus opened, and the infected starting dropping as bands pulled tight and rocks punched through soft, decayed tissue and bone.
~ ~ ~
The rain stopped completely as Mace stood on the porch waiting for an opportunity to make a run for it. As the dark clouds passed, the moonlight lit up enough of the street to see the glitter of water on pavement.
There were still twenty or so spread out and moving slowly down the street when Mace heard Jade's voice. It was just a grunt, but he'd know it anywhere. Moving out a little from the porch, he spotted her coming. His jaw dropped as she sprinted to one of the infected and jammed a metal pole through its head.
He heard the grunt again as she yanked the pole free. Desperate hands reached for her and she dodged past them, running swiftly down the street in his direction. She would pass his house in a few seconds if he didn't get her attention. Another infected reached for her and she swung the pipe across its face, knocking it down. He whistled for her and her head swung in his direction, the look on her face fierce and determined, and she took a swift look around before sprinting towards him.
"We've got to get to the lab. Angela's got Jason," she uttered breathlessly.
"What?"
"I think that's where she took him. Long story. Let's go!"
A half-dozen infected were moving towards them as Jade took off again with Mace close behind. The pipe swung again, knocking an infected over, then a kick to the stomach sent another one reeling. Jade worked methodically through their ranks.
She turned to Mace as they found some space between groups. "As long as they aren't too congested, you can get through. Lisa's hurt. Chelsea's safe. Gene and Rachel are dead."
Mace's head started spinning. What had he missed? "How'd Angela get back?"
"I don't know." Jade pointed up ahead. "That group's too big. Let's cut left at the corner and work our way around."
A sudden burst of automatic gunfire slowed them down. It was followed by several small-arms shots.
"That's coming from behind that group," Mace said, looking ahead. Another long burst sent them seeking cover as the infected started dropping. They huddled behind a tree on the street. "Whoever that is, they're mowing them down."
"Look out!" yelled Jade as an infected came up behind Mace. Mace pulled his 9mm and placed a head shot, dropping it.
Looking back down the street, they could see a figure now walking through the group, blasting away with the M-16.
"That's Shawn!" said Mace excitedly, recognizing the clothes.
"He's crazy," remarked Jade. "He's just walking right into them."
They watched as he let go of the M-16, letting it swing to a rest at his side, then calmly pulling his 9mm and placing a direct head shot to an infected that was right on top of him. He took out two more from different directions, then popped out the clip, replaced it with a fresh one and continued with the executions without skipping a beat.
Mace looked behind them to see a large number shambling towards them. "We gotta go. Let's grab Shawn and head to the lab."
They jogged out from behind the tree and Mace whistled. Shawn was still firing as more closed in. He pulled out a flash grenade, removed the pin, and dropped it. A few steps later it blew, and those around him either fled, dropped, or froze. He lifted his hand in recognition as they ran towards him. The infected were still everywhere, but the flash grenade freaked them out just enough to allow a brief reprieve from assault.
Shawn was covered in blood. Mace saw the knife stuck in his stomach, sticking out through his jacket. "What the hell happened?" he said, shocked.
"I don't know how much longer I can go," Shawn answered, straight-forward. "I've been bit too many damned times to count." He noticed Mace looking at the knife handle. "Compliments of Angela. Recognize the handle? It's the fucking one I gave back to her."
"Angela? Where is she?" Jade's heart started racing at her name.
"Gut shot in her house. Melissa's got Jason. They're hiding out in her safe room."
"They're okay?"
"Yeah."
"Thank God. I thought she was taking them to the lab."
"No. I knew she'd try to hide out at her place. I was waiting for her there. It's like Fort Knox."
"We need to get you some medical attention," said Mace, looking at all the blood splotches. He didn't know how Shawn was still standing.
"One thing about this infection. You can survive a long time on hate. I think I'll just keep going for a while."
"If we can get through the night, we've still got a shot. Let's get you cleaned up."
Shawn wasn't sure whether to share the next piece of information. "Tornado dropped at the East end of the compound. Took out a block and a half. Bo's gone. I just came from there."
Mace's eye twitched and his heart dropped, but his composure remained. A brief gasp escaped Jade's lips, although she kept her composure as well. They didn't have time to dwell on it. Mace couldn't help but think about his last conversation with Bo.
"I saw the funnel drop," Mace said, a hint of sadness falling into his voice.
"We can't stay here," said Jade, scanning the area. The infected were on the move again. "Any more flash bangs?" she asked Shawn.
"No, that was the last one."
"We've got to get to Jason," she said, a look of desperation showing. "Come with us."
"Yeah, let's finish this one together," added Mace.
A sudden honk grabbed their attention. It was the yellow school bus cruising down the street, running down infected. The infected shrunk back at the headlights, covering their eyes, and Woody plowed right through them.
The bus ground to a halt next to them, and the door whooshed open. Kids faces were either pressed against the glass or leaning out the windows, staring at them. "Wanna ride?" asked Woody, smiling from the driver's seat.
They were all too dumbfounded to answer. Finally Mace asked, "How?"
"Well, you just step on the bus and we start moving." Woody smiled.
The bus was causing a stir. The noise of the engine and the glowing map were drawing infected. They were slowly coming from all sides.
"We better go," said Jade, surveying the area. "We're gonna get bottle-necked."
"I'm staying," said Shawn.
; Jade shook her head. "You can't. You'll get cornered."
"I'm bleeding out. I'm not gonna last much longer. I'm gonna try for the back fence. I saw where they're coming in. It was too crazy before, but we need to plug the hole. The ones inside aren't going anywhere, and we need to keep more from getting in."
"No," said Jade. "Come with us."
"You know you don't have time to argue." Looking at them both, Shawn felt his heart open. The moment he did, his legs felt wobbly, and he almost collapsed. "I love you guys." He tried to keep his emotions in check. "Go get Jason and make this place safe again."
Jade wanted to hug him but didn't dare because of the protruding knife handle. "I don't know what to say," she said, concentrating on his face.
"No need to say anything. I'll see you on the other side." Trying to hold a smile, he turned to Mace and gave him a brief nod. Mace nodded back in understanding, his eyes growing momentarily misty. With that, Shawn turned and walked away, heading for a large group of infected headed their way.
"Bye, brother," said Mace quietly to himself. With more regret than either could acknowledge, they silently boarded the bus.
As they starting moving down the street, Jade watched Shawn head towards the infected through the window. The night grew blacker as she watched him stroll directly into their midst, guns blazing. Soon after, she lost sight of him.
CHAPTER THIRTY SIX
Lisa was feeling woozy as she knocked on the cellar door. "Chelsea, it's me. Open up, quickly."
She heard the latch give way and struggled to pull open one of the doors. She was definitely weak. Squeezing through, she let it drop behind her, collapsing on the stairs. Chelsea immediately jumped on her, hugging her fiercely, not saying a word. Sobs escaped and Lisa could feel wet tears on her face.
"I'm sorry, honey. I'm so sorry. I didn't want to leave you."
They stayed that way in silence, mother and daughter in a tight embrace, not wanting to let go. After a few sighs, Chelsea started talking softly.
"I was so scared. I didn't know what to do."
Children of the Apocalypse (Mace of the Apocalypse #3) Page 16