"We fight," I said, trying to sound confident. "We'll make for the stairs and fight our way through. We have to stick together. If we get separated, they'll just pick us off one at a time."
We fell back through the gate and I shut it, locking the bolts. It might not stop them since they could climb, but it would slow them down. That was better than nothing. We formed up around Snake, since he was carrying the dog. By his own admission, he wasn't the best shot, anyway. We wanted our best shots engaging the dead. I let Southard take the lead and I brought up the rear.
We hadn't made it more than twenty feet when I heard the scrabbling sounds of claws scraping on the far side of the gate. They were coming over. All around us, I could see that they were starting to move in for the kill. They had us completely surrounded. They were smarter than I had given them credit. The goddamned things had set a trap and we walked right into it.
They probably could have gotten the dog at any time. If they had used the dog as bait to draw us out, then they had enough intelligence to know where we were heading. They would be covering our only escape, heavily. Getting down the stairs and to the door was going to be one hell of a fight.
"Don't shoot until we don't have a choice," I said, in a loud whisper. "I think that any sudden noise or movement will set them off."
"We're fucked," whispered Southard.
"Not yet, we're not," I replied. "We're not giving up that easily. Besides that, this trip was worth it. We learned something new."
"What's that?" asked Southard. "That these ugly bastards are smarter than we thought?"
"There is that, too," I said. "But by finding this dog, we learned that there are other survivors nearby. They had to have been close-by to walk here."
"Good point," agreed Spec-4. "I wonder where they are?"
"We'll work on that, later," I said, sweeping my weapon back and forth. "Once we're back inside the bunker."
I could see the outline of the building we were trying to reach. It was appearing out of the mist. I could see several figures on the roof and on the ground on every side. We weren't going to get inside without fighting our way through them. It wasn't going to be easy.
"When the shooting starts," I said, through clenched teeth, "make for the stairs. We'll fight our way inside. Once we're in the stairwell, they won't have as much of an advantage. Out in the open, they can come at us from every side."
The building was now less than twenty yards away. I could make out the shapes of the windows and see the outline of the bricks. We were almost close enough to try and make a break for it. Just a few more yards to go.
The dog whined in fear and pain as they grew closer to us on all sides. We kept up our pace until we were close enough to the building that we could see the doorway. I couldn't see inside the darkened building, but I knew that they would be inside, too. They continued to come closer, slowly closing the ring around us. The building was our only hope, now. They were blocking every other way we could run.
"Get ready," I hissed.
I could hear gloved hands tightening on the handles of weapons in anticipation of the fight that was about to start. The tension in the air was excruciating. It was so palpable that it felt alive. The flood gates were about to break. Suddenly, a hideous snarling shriek broke out among the dead and the air around us exploded with motion as they all suddenly lurched forward.
I didn't wait to give a fire command. I just opened fire with the Beowulf, trying to use the massive weapon to bludgeon a hole for us to run through. Southard and Spec-4 both opened fire and the air around us seemed to come alive with the report of weapons and the shrieking of the dead.
In a massive flurry of activity, we rushed the door. We were pouring fire into the dead that blocked our path, trying to create an opening big enough for us to force our way through.
"Changing mags!" I screamed as my weapon went silent.
With speed borne of practice, I changed magazines and dropped the empty. We could recover it later, if we lived that long. Southard was shooting as fast as he could without switching to auto-fire. We all had to make our shots count. Through the haze of the rain and the clouds of gunpowder smoke, I could see we were making a big dent in their numbers. But for every one we dropped, three more appeared out of the mist.
Southard was the first through the door with Snake right on his heels. I shoved Spec-4 inside and went in backwards, tossing a grenade into the nearest group. I could still hear gunfire behind me, inside the building. I knew I had to have been right about them being inside, waiting for us to return.
The massive thump of the grenade detonation sent shrapnel and body parts flying through the mist. My second magazine emptied and my weapon went silent. I fumbled for another magazine when I saw Spec-4 go down. She fell onto her face and was dragged backwards into a darkened room.
"Wylie!" she screamed, clawing frantically at the floor.
I could see her go feet first through a window and back out into the rain. I released the bolt on my third magazine and turned to Southard.
"Get inside!" I screamed. "I'm going after Wilder!"
"Are you fucking crazy?!" he screamed. "She's gone. We have to go, NOW!"
"Just move!" I screamed and headed back out the door.
"Goddamn it!" I heard him scream. "NO!"
I wasn't listening. I was already moving out into the rain, shooting as I went. I drove the butt of my weapon into the face of one that got too close. I just caught a glimpse of the hellish look on its face as I knocked it back into the rain. I didn't wait for it to come back. I just kept firing and ran around the building.
As I rounded the corner, I could see a group of four of them gathered around Spec-4. They were slashing at her chest and stomach, but she was still struggling. Her weapon was in the mud beside her, and she was fighting with her bare hands.
My magazine emptied as I ran towards them, but I didn't have time to change it. I dropped the Beowulf and let it fall to dangle around my neck by the strap. I snap drew the old Colt and fired as soon as it cleared the holster. The massive report of the old Long Colt erupted in the semi-darkness. Flame leapt from the barrel and the nearest Stalker's head exploded.
I fired three more times, clearing them off of her. I could see blood on her face and her pale eyes open wide with fear. Her armor had prevented them from disemboweling her. It was shredded, but she was alive. I stood over her and fired off my last two rounds from the Colt. Two more of the dead joined the ranks of oblivion.
I knew my cylinder was empty, so I shoved the pistol back into my holster. Reaching behind me, I grasped the handle of Brjótanir. Swinging it around, I brought it up in a defensive grip. The first of the dead charged me and I swung the big hammer in a upward arc, crushing its skull with the massive impact. It somersaulted over backwards and splashed into a puddle, not moving.
With a tremendous roar, I let out my battle cry and swung the hammer around me, forcing them back. Through the battle rage, I could see that they were not just smarter, they were thinking about their attacks. They were staying out of my reach, waiting for me to drop my guard.
"Can you stand!" I shouted.
"You bet your ass," she snapped, getting to her feet and putting her back to mine.
I could see only one option, at this point. There was no way we were getting back inside the bunker. I just hoped that Southard and Snake had made it inside in time. I didn't have time to worry about that, though. I had to worry about getting us through our own gauntlet.
"Where do we go, now?" she asked.
I could hear her reloading her weapons. I kept the hammer moving and the dead kept their distance. It was just a matter of time before they all decided to rush me. I knew that I couldn't stop them, then. We'd both die here. We had to move.
"Make for the Humvee!" I shouted. "If we can get inside, we can lock ourselves in. There's no way they're getting through that armor."
"Lead the way," she said, working the bolt on her rifle.
"Get re
ady," I said, tensing for the coming fight.
"Wylie," she said, gently.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for coming for me," she said. "You should have gone on without me."
"Not a chance," I said. "Loyalty means more than just to each other. Family, friends and faith, that's what will get us through this. We'll make it together or we'll fall together."
"Just in case…" she said, her voice trembling.
"We'll make it," I said, confidence in my voice. "Trust me. Stay close."
With a bellow, I lunged towards the place where we'd parked the Humvees. They were closer than the entrance to the bunker. We also didn't have to wait for anyone else to let us in. I smashed the first Stalker I got to and crushed it to the ground. The second one lurched at me and I drove the handle into its face, knocking out teeth and sending it over backwards.
Behind me, Spec-4 opened fire and kept her back to mine. Slamming the hammer into the side of the next one's head, I twisted in a complete circle and knocked three more out of our way. Spec-4 put bullets into their heads, making sure that they didn't get back up. Two more went down to my hammer as we fought for every inch of ground we gained.
Suddenly, the Humvee was right in front of us. There was a large Stalker standing on the roof and I knocked it's legs out from under it, with bone-crunching force. It fell off the other side of the vehicle and disappeared. Spec-4 ducked under my arms and started opening the lock. I turned my back to her to cover us while she worked. I struck four more before I heard the lock click open and the door opening.
"We're in," she screamed, relieved.
She didn't waste any time, diving inside and over the console in the middle. With a lunge, I drove the head of the hammer into the face of the closest one and then dove inside the open door. Yanking the door shut and pulling the locking lever, I could see the inhuman faces appearing in my window. They were scratching and scraping the exterior of the vehicle, but they couldn't get through. We were safe, for the moment.
"Are you bit?" I asked, turning to her.
"No," she replied. "I'm just scratched up. I cut my cheek open when they pulled me out through the window."
"Your armor saved your life," I said, gesturing at the shredded Interceptor vest she wore.
"No, you did," she replied, her eyes wet with emotion. "I owe you one."
"We're not keeping score," I said, wiping a tear out of the corner of her eye. "You're alive. That's all that matters."
"We're both alive," she said. "Looks like your luck is still holding."
"Let's hope it keeps holding," I said. "We're going to need it."
Chapter Fifteen
The Honored Dead
"Though I've belted you and flayed you,
By the livin' Gawd that made you,
You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din!"
- Rudyard Kipling
We couldn't really sleep that night. The Stalkers had realized that they couldn't get through the armor, but they didn't leave the area. They just waited with unearthly patience for us to get out and come to them. I contacted the others with my radio and was relieved to discover that Southard and Snake had made it inside without any problem. The dog, who's name turned out to be Aegis, was doing well. Maddie had cleaned up the wounds and bandaged them. She would be fine.
We let them know that we were safe, but trapped inside a Humvee. We would have to wait until the sun came out to push the Stalkers back to their lair. The positive side was that I should be able to watch them leaving and figure out where we needed to search. If we could finish them off, we would have a much better chance of surviving and building a life here.
I cleaned out the cut on Spec-4's face and put a bandage on it. It wasn't a bad cut and wouldn't need stitches, just some first-aid ointment. Shockingly, we had both come through the fight without any serious injuries. Other than needing some new armor and ammo, we were ready to go back out there.
Sometime during the night, Spec-4 had nodded off. The Stalkers were still surrounding the vehicle, but they had given up trying to scratch their way inside. The storm broke about three in the morning and the stars came out. Despite the fact that we were surrounded by the dead, it was really beautiful.
I set my alarm, just to be sure I was awake before the sun came up. I drifted in and out of sleep, but kept an eye on the dead. When the sun started to color the horizon, they began to gather and move off towards the trees. I watched all around us, but they seemed to all be heading in the same direction.
My suspicions were confirmed when I saw them dragging off the ones that we had shot. Some of them even fed on the fallen dead. I guess that the Stalkers weren't picky about what they ate. That explained why we didn't see many of the other types of undead in the area. They must prey on anything moving, even other dead.
I considered getting out of the vehicle, but thought better of it. I decided to wait until the sun was completely up. I was glad I did, too. Just as the sun was starting to come above the horizon, I heard a hissing snarl and two of them leapt off the roof of the Humvee and ran for the trees. They had been waiting on top for us to think it was safe. Clever bastards.
We waited until Southard, Snake, Gunny and Elliott came out with their weapons ready to climb out of the vehicle. No sense in taking the chance. I'd been thinking all night about why we came out here in the first place. We'd risked our lives to save a dog. I only came out because I felt like I needed to, for whatever reason. We had saved the dog, but we had also learned a lot about the Stalkers.
We learned how they hunted. We learned how they carried off their dead. We even learned that they ate the dead as well as the living. Although, the most important thing we learned was where they went when the sun came up. If we could track them back to their lair, we could end this threat once and for all. I figured that there were more of them somewhere else, but we only had to worry about the ones that were here. At least, for now.
Once we were all back inside, we ate breakfast and got ourselves cleaned up. While I was resupplying my ammo from the stores, I ran into Johnny Bowman. He'd pretty much taken over the machine shop area and set up a complete gunsmithing and reloading station. He grinned like a schoolboy with his first crush when he saw me. I was more than a little worried by that.
"Wylie," he said, standing up and smiling . "Just the guy I was wanting to see."
"Uh, oh," I said, shaking his hand.
"I took some of your expended brass and started making some castings," he said, pointing to the gear on his bench. "I've started casting bullets and making shell casings for your old Colt and for the Beowulf."
That was good news to me. I was worried that we'd run out of that very unique ammo and I'd have to stop using them. I'd grown rather fond of both of them and was very reluctant to go back to a smaller weapon.
"That's great!" I said, grinning. "How soon can you start making it."
"I already have," he replied, pointing at a duffel bag. "I loaded six magazines for the rifle and about two hundred rounds for the pistol. Why don't you give them a try and see how they work."
"I'll do that," I replied, snagging the offered bag of ammo.
"I may have loaded them a little hot," he said. "I had to take a guess at the powder loads."
"I'll keep that in mind," I replied, shouldering the bag. "Hopefully they aren't too hot."
"Nah," he said, shaking his head. "I'm sure I'm pretty close. I doubt they are hot enough to damage the guns."
"Thanks," I said, and headed out the door.
"You're welcome," he replied. "Keep your eyes peeled for another one of those Beowulf's. I want one, for myself."
"Will do," I said, and headed down the hall.
I was both excited and reluctant to try out Bowman's new ammo. It could work just fine or it could damage my guns. I doubted that he'd overloaded it, but it paid to be cautious. Especially with ammunition and zombies. Underestimating either one could get you maimed or killed. In the case of the zombies, it could do worse
than killing you. The last thing I wanted was to turn into one of those things.
"Wylie," said Corporal Winston, as I passed the doorway to the radio room. "Got a sec?"
"Sure," I said, leaning back into the room. "What's up?"
"We've lost contact with the group held up at the Mega-Mart," he said, taking off his headset.
"How long has it been since we've heard from them?" I asked, concerned.
"A few days," he said. "We don't always talk every day, but we haven't gone more than two days without taking before."
"Maybe they just ran out of batteries," I said, not really believing it myself.
"Maybe," Winston reluctantly agreed. "I just have the feeling that something has happened."
"I guess we could go take a look," I said, thinking out loud.
"That might be a good idea," he said. "If they're alright, maybe we can work out some kind of a deal for some of the gear they have in that store."
"I'd like to get some of the hunting and fishing gear," I said. "And some of the gardening supplies."
"Do you think the dead got to them?" asked Winston.
"I hope not," I replied, grimacing. "I wouldn't wish that on anyone. Well, anyone that isn't trying to kill us."
"I'll keep trying to raise them on the radio," he said, turning back to his equipment.
"Let me know if you hear from them," I said, turning towards the door. "I'm going to round up a team to get a closer look."
"Got it," said Winston, slipping his earphones back on.
I headed down the hallway and found a group of people assembled in the dining area. Several of them had towels on the table in front of them and were in the process of cleaning weapons. I sat across from Spec-4 and lay my Beowulf on the table. She glanced up from the cleaning of her upper receiver on her M-4 and smiled at me.
"Come to lend a hand?" she asked.
"I thought I'd join you and maybe clean my own weapons," I said, smiling.
Karen came over to me from the kitchen area and handed me a steaming cup of coffee. I smiled at her and winked, taking a sip of the bitter black liquid. It was strong, but it was good. She returned the wink and headed back into the kitchen. I could tell from the smell that they were already busy preparing the evening meal for the group.
Ragnarok Rising: The Crossing (The Ragnarok Rising Saga) Page 24