But she was still alive. She was still breathing even if she didn’t register the air going in and out of her lungs. As she fired at the city folk in the streets below, she felt nothing. Not the racing of her heart. Not the fear in her veins. Not Megan’s arm pressed up against hers as they continued the battle. She felt none of it.
She was in survival mode.
As a gunman aimed at her, she grabbed Megan and pulled her down beneath the window ledge to avoid the onslaught of bullets. They’d done this manoeuvre a bunch of times now, but it was working. Going upstairs to shoot was a great idea on John’s part. So long as they could keep anyone from making it into the house, they were relatively safe. At least, none of them had been hurt so far.
“Where the hell is Perry?” John cried out as he also ducked to avoid being shot.
“I don’t know,” Abigail roared over the noise. “He should be back now…”
The comment brought Aby back to the present. It shot pain through her heart. She was certain if they weren’t back by now it was because they were dead. She knew that out there was a warzone. There were bodies everywhere and it was hard to tell who they belonged to. It would be easy to miss even a familiar face…
No, Aby told herself. She’d know if Jake had been shot down. She’d see him among the bodies. She’d feel it in her chest. He was alive. He had to be. She hadn’t even had the chance to see him since their last argument. She planned to keep him alive by sheer will if she had to. She wasn’t a superstitious person, or religious in the slightest, but she was determined that her faith would keep him safe.
She was the first to rise again as the gunmen below reloaded and she shot to kill. She missed, but she managed to hit a woman’s arm. She cried out and dropped her gun, going down on her knees as shock and pain overcame her.
Aby felt a stab of guilt. The last thing she wanted was to be a killer. She didn’t want to take away innocent lives. She knew how scary this new world was already and she didn’t want to be someone that people feared. But if it came to a choice between whether she lived or the attackers, she was always going to choose herself. They’d come here to destroy the peace. They had to deal with their own fate.
Aby ducked down again and waited, her heart pounding. She turned her head and saw that Megan was spiralling out. She had tears running down her cheeks and her hand was clamped over her mouth to try and contain the sounds of her sobs, as though she was hiding from the enemy.
“Megan, you need to get it together,” Aby hissed as John and Abigail continued to shoot out of their window. “If you don’t, you’re going to get yourself killed.”
“I didn’t want to kill that man...I didn’t think I could...and then I did,” Megan sobbed, hiccuping. Aby wanted to shake her, though she knew that wasn’t fair. Megan was the only one having a normal reaction to what was going on around them. Aby sighed, putting her hand gently on Megan’s arm. She knew she was wasting time, but if she didn’t get Megan back on her feet, they’d be a man down anyway.
“Megan...I know it’s hard. But these people had the audacity to come here and try to destroy everything the people here have worked so hard for. They’re trying to take it by force and kill the residents. They’re the bad people here. We’re protecting innocent civilians. Don’t you want to be a part of that?”
Megan sniffed uncomfortably. Aby thought that maybe it hadn’t worked, but then Megan nodded.
“Okay. Okay. I can do this…”
“Good. We’re in this together, Megan. I’ve got your back, I swear.”
Aby squeezed her hand quickly before getting back on her feet and aiming the gun. She looked out for potential targets, but the street was now mostly cleared of those who had come in the pickup trucks. She allowed herself a moment to breathe, relieved to be out of the worst of the battle.
Or so she thought. At that moment, she heard a battle cry and more people began to fill out into the street. Her heart seized. She could tell immediately that they weren’t townsfolk. She wondered if they were the only ones left on the defense. It made her sick knowing so many people were dying and she couldn’t stop it.
“Keep shooting to kill,” John cried out. “We have to keep going.”
Aby nodded and aimed her gun. Kill or be killed, she thought. She repeated that thought over and over in her head as she fired endless bullets into the street.
But then she saw something that broke her out of her battle mode. She saw something that made her lower her gun, simultaneously lowering her defenses.
Jake was running out into the street. He was covered in blood, but very much alive. Somewhere along the way, he’d lost his gun, but he held a bloodied knife in his hands. Aby wasn’t sure if she was imagining it, but she thought his hands were shaking.
The mob seemed to turn their attention to Jake the second he showed up. He was the only defender on the road until Perry joined him moments later. Seeing that they were much less armed than the others, the fighters on the street went after them with knives and bats in their hands.
Aby wanted to scream. She knew Jake had little chance against all of those people. She wanted to go out on the street and help him, but she knew she’d only succeed in getting herself killed too. The people at the house needed her. They could make it through if they stuck together.
Aby fired off a few bullets for the stragglers at the back of the mob, picking off the final gunmen on the road. Now, all she had to do was break up the mob.
“Everyone! We need to focus on the pack,” she said commandingly. “Abigail, John, you’re more experienced shooters...try to get those who get too close to Jake and Perry. Megan and I will aim for the back of the mob.”
She knew it was a good plan in theory, but she had no idea if it would be enough. Still, as the group nodded and began to follow her instructions, she felt a surge of hope in her heart. She quickly squashed it. She didn’t want to get comfortable and believe the fight was over when it was only just beginning.
Her shots were becoming much more accurate. She kept her heart as steady as she could and her breathing followed suit. With calm precision, she began to pick off the mob. Without guns and all packed together, it was much easier to get them, especially with Jake hacking away with his knife and Perry using his bare hands to attack the enemy. Perry cried out after taking a knife cut to the arm, but Abigail was quick to retaliate, shooting down his attacker without any mercy.
Even Megan was starting to get involved. She gritted her teeth and silent tears fell down her cheeks as she shot at them methodically. She was becoming an asset to the team, even. Aby felt proud of her, strangely. She never thought she’d so easily condone killing, but it was easy when it was for their own sake.
Far too easy.
But as they picked off some of the stragglers, the situation became much more difficult. Now, Aby was worried she might hit Jake or Perry. Megan held back too as the crowd thinned and became more concentrated on Jake and Perry. The battle was clumsy and bloody on both sides. Aby winced as she saw Jake get his face sliced by a knife, but still, she stepped back.
“I can’t shoot anymore. I might hit them,” she said anxiously. John stopped firing and nodded.
“Okay. New plan. I’ll go down to the street and try to get them to the house. I’ve got a handgun I can use at close range. You three, stay up here and make sure you pick off anyone who tries to get in our way.”
Aby didn’t like the plan. It put John at risk and it still didn’t guarantee that the other two would make it to the house alive. Her head was telling her that she had to think logically and leave her feelings out of the equation, but she couldn’t bear the idea of losing Jake...even if it meant putting other lives on the line.
“Okay,” she said decisively. “Let’s do it.”
Abigail was close to tears as John headed for the stairs. He rushed back to give her a fleeting parting kiss before rushing downstairs. Megan was shaking again and Aby realized that she was going to have to be the strong one. They neede
d her more than ever.
She watched John rush out into the street as she took her position back at the window. John’s daring rush from the house attracted attention from some of the attackers, but Aby tried her best to have his back. John took one man out with his handgun and then rushed toward Jake bravely.
Aby prayed silently that the plan would work. John made it to Jake, shooting his closest assailant in the back and ushering Jake toward him. Together, hip to hip, they made their way to Perry, who was looking worse for wear with a blossoming black eye and multiple cuts.
“Come on, come on,” Aby whispered anxiously. She couldn’t bear it if they lost now when they were so close to victory.
Finally, the mob was small enough for Aby’s friends to break through. They began running for the house, though Perry was limping a little and slowed the group down. John helped him out, aiming his handgun wildly with a look of terror on his face.
But it wasn’t over. As they reached the house, Aby saw a man running at speed after them. She hastily tried to shoot at him, but they were too fast for her. They were quickly gaining on Jake and Perry, and she couldn’t do anything to stop it.
“Move, move, move!” John cried as he ushered the other two into the house, trying to beat the man to the door. Instinctively, Aby rushed to the stairwell, wanting to help. She saw the three men make it through the door and felt a rush of relief as John tried to slam it behind him.
But the assailant wedged his shoulder into the doorway…
It wasn’t over.
Twelve
Jake
It was far from over.
Jake only had a split second to thank his lucky stars that he’d made it to the house before he was faced with yet another problem. The man at the door was doing his best to squeeze through as Perry and John pushed the door, trying to get him out. Jake joined them, breathing hard as he tried to push against the man’s advance, but he was a force to be reckoned with. His face made its way around the door, snarling animalistically at them all. It was like he was feral.
“Push harder!” John cried out, but it was a redundant statement. They were all pushing as hard as they could. The man was simply wedged in, his shoulder stronger than iron against the door.
Still putting his shoulder into pushing the door, Jake fumbled for his knife which he’d managed to reattach to his belt. Perry and John were awkwardly placed in front of him so there wasn’t much room for him to attack the man, but Jake knew he had to try. The only way to get the beastly man out was to hurt him badly, or kill him if they could.
Jake clumsily stabbed at the man. He cried out as the knife lodged into his upper thigh, but it didn’t make him move. He was still strong, still pushing inside, but now, he was filled with fury too.
Upstairs, Jake could hear the continued gunfire. He guessed there must be other assailants making their way into the street, but he couldn’t focus on them. The man in the doorway was almost like the ultimate enemy in that moment, like the boss in a video game. Jake had no idea how they were going to stop him if even being stabbed didn’t stop him.
They couldn’t allow him inside. Jake knew he’d kill them all. They’d made it this far, but a man like him could end them all quickly. He could tear them apart with his bare hands. He could snap their necks like a matchstick. He could make their lives hell...as if it wasn’t bad enough already.
And then it clicked. Jake had another secret weapon. The Glock was still on his belt, untouched. He’d forgotten all about it in the madness of everything. He reached for it awkwardly and aimed it quickly at the man’s chest.
The gun shot startled John and Perry so badly that they jumped away from the door, but it was too late for their assailant to take advantage of the moment. With a gaping hole in his chest, he fell back and Jake kicked the door shut as quickly as he could.
There was a long silence as they took in what had just happened. Jake allowed himself a moment to catch his breath even as he could hear gunfire still raging from upstairs. He was so full of anxiety that he felt like he might never breathe normally again.
But there was no time to get caught up in his own feelings. They had to make the house secure and keep going. It was a living nightmare, but they had no choice, but to embrace it. Jake shakily pointed to the door.
“We need to secure that thing. If anyone gets into the house who shouldn’t be here, things will get ugly real quick. Let’s lock it and try to shift some furniture in front of it.”
Perry was red in the face and so breathless that he couldn’t speak, but he nodded and sprung into action. Jake locked the door and then helped John and Perry to carry a heavy wooden cabinet in front of the door. He wasn’t certain it would hold in place for long, and they couldn't do much if someone broke in through the windows, but it was a good place to start.
Still, they were wasting precious time. They had to get upstairs and help out the others. Jake rushed up, hoping to see his fiance’s face. Seeing her would give him a second wind for the fight.
And then there she was. Standing at the window, fighting for their lives. She didn’t turn as he entered, but she looked so beautiful in that moment. She was so strong and incredible in ways he hadn’t even known until he looked at her then.
She was a hero. His hero. She had saved him out there.
She had been right all along. They were better as a team.
“Jake! Grab a rifle!” John cried when he saw that he’d arrived. Aby was distracted momentarily at the mention of his name and she ducked behind the wall to look at him. When her eyes fell on him, she smiled.
But there was no time for an emotional hello. Outside, the roar of engines signalled the arrival of more pickup trucks. Jake grabbed a gun and lodged himself between Aby and Megan at the window, ready to fight.
So the battle continued. It was like they'd returned to square one. There were more city folk in the street than there had been to begin with, but now they had much fewer bullets and more targets to aim them at.
It was a bloodbath. Jake had to dodge so many bullets that he felt like a cat with nine lives. Once, he had to shove Megan aside as he saw a bullet flying right at her while she was faced the other way. He was so scared that he felt sick, but he pushed through it. With Aby at his side, he felt like he could do anything.
But it felt like the hoards of people weren’t leaving. And though the city folk seemed disorganised, after a while, some of them began trying to get to the house and knock down the door. Jake kept his focus on anyone trying to get too close, but it was impossible when there were so many of them.
“We’re not going to make it,” he said fearfully as yet another truck pulled up. “We need more people.”
They’d been joined by some of their neighbors in the combat, but it wasn’t enough. Even when they showed up at their windows and began shooting, Jake could see that they weren’t experienced enough to make a dent on the amount of shooters arriving. Then, to his horror, Jake saw one of them get a bullet straight to the head and they toppled headfirst out of the window. The thud they made as they hit the ground made him feel like he was going to be sick.
They needed a miracle.
“I’m low on ammo,” Abigail said over the roar of the battle. “What are we going to do?”
Jake didn’t have an answer. No one did.
“Keep fighting...until you can’t,” John told them. Jake’s lips were set in a thin, but determined line. He nodded. What else could they do, after all?
“Aby,” he said in a rare moment of silence on the battlefield. “I love you.”
“I love you too. We’re good,” she said. He knew he had so many things he wanted to say to her. He wanted her to know how wonderful she was and how much he appreciated her. But there wasn’t time, so he just had to hold on to the fact that they were okay. After everything they’d been through, they were going to be alright.
If they survived.
But Jake was feeling less and less hopeful by the minute. Even when someone
joined the battle with a semi-automatic gun and took out a whole bunch of attackers, they were still massively outnumbered. Someone had thrown a brick at their downstairs window and though they had only cracked the glass, Jake knew that one final crack in the glass would send it toppling and allow their attackers inside. And if that happened, there would be no survivors among them.
Jake was making his peace with his death. He didn’t expect to make it through the next five minutes. He’d always wanted nothing more than to spend his last minutes with Aby, but not like this. Not when he might watch her die before his eyes too. Not when they were dying in a battle they never signed up for. They were still waiting on a miracle.
“I’m out of bullets,” Abigail cried in defeat. She ducked low beneath the window ledge, sniffing. “This is it.”
Jake heard the roar of more engines and felt his heart sink. Abigail was right. This had to be the end. If there were more pickup trucks coming after them, then they didn’t stand a chance.
But it wasn’t a pickup truck. It was something else. Jake squinted at the vehicle coming down the road. He’d seen it in the town earlier. The battle seemed to stop for a split second as everyone watched it arriving.
“That’s one of ours,” John whispered.
“But is it one of ours driving?” Abigail asked.
“Keep fighting. We don’t have the luxury of waiting to find out whose side they’re on,” Aby said, shooting down a man approaching the house.
But Jake was mesmerized as the big old SUV weaved its way around the pickup trucks, ploughing into the enemy easily. There were screams out on the street, but Jake had little sympathy. These people had tried to kill them. Now, it was time for a taste of their own medicine. Now, they were the prey.
Even Aby stopped shooting to watch. The whole thing was over in less than a minute as the SUV knocked down people easily and cruelly. Some of the stragglers managed to get in their cars and retreat, but by the time the SUV had disappeared elsewhere, there wasn’t a soul on the street who was still alive.
The End of the World Series | Book 2 | Survive The Onslaught Page 7