by D. P. Sloan
CHAPTER 34
WATCHING AND WAITING
Gregg crouched low behind a wall at the back of the Royal Mail sorting office; he turned and looked behind him. There his girlfriend Katy, friends Cody and Rosie and the police officer Ryan crouched with him.
He breathed in deeply and let out a long sigh, “Are we ready for this guys?” he looked at each and every one of them.
They all nodded except Rosie.
“Rosie?” Gregg questioned, “Are you ready?”
“I….I…..just don’t want to die!” Rosie stuttered.
Ryan put a firm hand on her shoulder making her turn her head towards him, the other three followed suit.
“No one is going to die. Not anymore. I, we will all make sure about that. We get in, bring down Lomax and his crew find my wife and kids and get out quickly,” he reassured her.
Rosie smiled, “And how do we get back out of the square?”
“The truck,” Gregg answered, “We steal the truck and smash our way through the fencing.”
“Yeah,” Ryan nodded, “exactly, then it is home free.”
“So, we all good to go then?” Gregg asked the group.
They all nodded and started heading up Hecla Place, ran up and hid behind a small brick wall across from the Post Office. Gregg peered over the wall seeing the white tents, he saw people in white lab coats floating back and forth between tents. He saw the truck and the car that Ryan said Michelle was in, parked near the tent that he saw his fathers’ body in, lying there on the floor being eaten and torn apart by an undead man while the lab coat guys and soldiers along with Lomax stood around watching the event unfold in front of them. He tried to wipe the scene away from his memory but couldn’t. Pure rage built up inside him as he looked down at the soldiers’ gun that he carried. He checked the bullet chamber and began to stand up.
“Gregg get back down!” Ryan whispered to him.
Gregg shook his head, “No Ryan, I’m ending this now!”
He was about to storm the compound by running down the ramp and the post office, firing at anything that stood in his way when a puzzled look came over him, he frowned and shook his head trying to see if what he saw in the distance was just an hallucination.
“No surly that can’t be right!?!” he said out loud.
“What is it babe?” Katy asked, standing up and trying to see what he saw.
“Look,” Gregg told her, pointing towards two figures walking back into one of the white tents.
Katy’s eyes shot wide open, “That isn’t. Is it?”
The rest of the group stood up and looked in the direction Gregg and Katy were looking in.
“Jesus Christ, it can’t be!” Ryan uttered in bewilderment.
But it was. They all starred at the scene in front of them. Rage engulfing all four of them as they watched the United Kingdom’s very own Prime Minister walk side by side with Lomax.
They knew the war ran deep, they were told that by the soldier in the tennis court building but they just didn’t believe it until they saw it with their very own eyes.
Things were going to get nasty, very fast.
CHAPTER 35
AWAKENING THE DEAD
Both Lomax and the Prime Minister entered the tent and walked directly over to Doctor West.
“Mr West,” Lomax began. The doctor replaced a syringe on the side table and turned to his visitors again.
“Lomax,” Doctor West began, “this better be good.”
Lomax looked at the Prime Minister then back at the doctor, “We need you to release Project Takeover.”
Silence engulfed the room as West looked at both of them and frowned, “Are you sure? Remember we said we were releasing that in the Middle East. Project Takeover was our way of establishing Elite Corporation.”
“We establish it here in Scotland,” the PM said sternly, “we have already taken charge of Drumchapel but Mr Lomax here has let a few people survive.”
Lomax glared at her. West smirked at the idea that there were survivors in the area.
“And your soldiers are dealing with this aren’t they Lomax?” West asked him.
“Yes Lomax,” the PM cut in, “are your soldiers dealing with this?”
Lomax breathed deeply.
“Is there a problem Lomax?” West asked.
Lomax glared at the Prime Minister before shaken his head, “My Alpha one team were dispatched but I’ve lost contact with them. I’m sure they are fine though.”
“Sure?” West began, “SURE? Lomax, need I remind you there is no sure about it. These people need to be killed or become part of my ever-expanding army of the dead. If you can’t stop these - these survivors then they will expose all our hard work.”
“It will be West,” Lomax replied.
“There better be,” West responded, “you know what? Fuck it! Let’s release Project Takeover. I want to burn this place to the ground. He picked up a small black device. Flicked the switch. Pressed the button so it would go green, looked at both Lomax and the Prime Minister, “let the games begin!” he smirked.
From all around them – on the beds in the tents, the dead started to move, to rise again.
“Everyone that is still alive, let’s head for the Post Office,” Lomax shouted, “that will be our secure area until we are able to leave here. Let Project Takeover commence.”
Every scientist, every soldier, every personal that were on the books of Elite Corporation moved out, heading up towards the Post Office on Hecla Avenue.
*
Michaels and the teens watched and listened from behind the wall to the right of the Post Office as the soldiers and the crew ran up towards them.
“Quick everyone back away,” Michaels whispered, “stay out of sight. We don’t want to attract any attention yet!”
The teens and Michaels backed away from the wall and hid out of sight. Then they heard the groaning, the screaming, screaming of what sounded like people in pain.
“What the Hell was that?” Rosie whispered.
Michaels shook his head, “I’m unsure.
“Shit look!” Gregg said pointing, “It’s the dead. It’s an army of the fucking dead! What the Hell is going on here?”
They watched as the dead emerged from all the tents. They watched as the soldiers, Lomax, West and the Prime Minister all entered the Post Office building. They heard the doors close and the shutter go down and then began their plan.
“Right the dead have rising,” Michaels began, “those assholes are in there but we have to play safe.”
“Fuck that!” Gregg chimed in, “I want them dead. They killed my father!”
“Gregg son,” Michaels began but was cut short.
“Don’t you dare call me that!” Gregg yelled, “I am not your son!”
Katy put an arm around his shoulders trying to calm him down. But he shrugged her away and glared at her. Katy then backed away; shocked at the way her boyfriend was acting. She had never seen this said of him. She understood that he was upset but this just wasn’t him.
Michaels nodded, “Gregg I understand you want payback but we have to tread carefully.”
Gregg shook his head, “If you are not with me to stop them in their tracks then I’ll do it myself.” He picked up the rifle, checked the bullets, looked at each of his friends and then looked at Michaels. “So?”
“So, what?” Cody answered.
Gregg gritted his teeth, “Are you with me? Are you with me to storm the Post Office and just keep firing until those bastards in there are dead and their little sinister plan is no more.” He looked at Rosie first, she shook her head. He turned his attention to Cody, who followed suit and shook his head. “What about you babe?” Katy looked at him and then done the same, she then bowed her head in silence. “Michaels?” the police officer looked at him before answering him.
“It’s a stupid idea Gregg,” he began, “what is it going to achieve killing them all? I mean look over there, they have released the dead - an
army of the fucking dead. Who knows what else they’ve released!”
Gregg grew angrier and angrier. His face becoming redder and redder. He looked at each and every one of the group, before shrugging his shoulders, “Fuck you fuck you, fuck you and I didn’t think I would say this to you Katy but FUCK YOU TOO!”
Every one of the groups’ mouths hung open in surprise as they watched Gregg reload the chamber of the gun and turn and walk over to the post office.
Katy’s eyes began to shed tears as she cried uncontrollable but was comforted by her friends Rosie and Cody.
They watched as Gregg stomped over the ground towards the post office, they watched as Gregg looked down over the railings at the army of the dead before raising the gun and firing at the group of undead.
“YOU FUCKERS!” Gregg screamed as bullet after bullet entered the crowd, killing or maiming the dead soldiers. He turned and looked at his girlfriend and friends one last time before running up the ramp towards the entrance to the post office building.
Out of site from his friends, Gregg raised the gun and started firing rounds into the automatic shutter lock which in turn began to open up. Gregg stood waiting patiently until the shutter went up enough for him to kick the glass door in. He bent down and entered the post office, his boots crunching over the broken glass. He stood up scanned the area. Waiting. Watching. Listening. Listening for someone speak. Someone move. Waiting until the noise would make him lift the gun and fire. Surely someone must have heard him come in? Then he thought about it. The dead – the dead were roaming outside! As far as Lomax and his crew were to know, it was simply the dead breaking in. He walked up to the counters looking through the glass but seeing nothing. No movement, no mad doctor, no soldiers, no Prime Minister and no Lomax. Gregg raised the gun and fired at the glass shattering it. He climbed up and over the counter and jumped down to the other side of the counter.
“LOMAX!!!” Gregg yelled, “Lomax get your ass out here and face me!”
Still no movement, still no noise.
“LOMAX!” Gregg shouted, “Come out, come out where ever you are!”
He walked up towards a doorway near the middle of the room and entered it to find a walk in safe. A large steel door. That’s when he heard voices coming from inside, muffled voices but he heard them. He walked over to the door, put his hand on the handle and pulled at it. But it didn’t move. He rattled it, and banged it but still it wouldn’t budge.
“Open the fuck up!” Gregg screamed, “I know you are in there Lomax! You killed my father and now you pay!”
Gregg stepped back hoping (and praying) that the safe door would open and Lomax would come out with his hands held high.
Gregg waited. And waited.
After at least five more minutes, he gave up and was about to leave, when he saw movement at the front door. He stopped in his tracks, raised the gun and started firing. Firing until the chamber in the gun became empty. He lowered the gun and shouted towards the door, “No dead guy is going to eat me you hear! Lomax do you HEAR me? You are your little friends are not going to eat me and my friends!”
More movement came from the entrance way. Gregg pulled out another load of bullets and loaded the gun. He raised it and fired again and yet again didn’t stop until the chamber was empty.
“Take that you FUCKING ARSEHOLES!” He shouted as he lowered the gun and began walking towards the front door, “You see Lomax your little army of dead will be finished and it’ll only be myself and your little team left and you can stay in that vault forever. All of you will die and rot and believe me that’s a good thing. Scrap that – that is GREAT THING!”
He walked closer to the front door, saw all the blood then saw the bodies.
Then he dropped to his knees and screamed.
CHAPTER 36
TWENTY MINUTES EARLIER
Michaels, Katy, Cody and Rosie all watched as Gregg entered the building then they heard the shooting followed by the shouting and more shooting.
“We got to stop him before he gets himself killed!” Katy sobbed through the tears that streamed down her face. She began to move forward but was yanked back by Cody.
“You stay here. I’ll go and speak to him, calm him down,” Cody told her.
“I’m coming with you,” Michaels chimed in.
Cody shook his head, “No you stay here protect the girls from those things down there. Then find your wife and kids. Your wife needs her man and your kids need their daddy.”
Cody smiled at the girls, “I’ll be right back!” with that he turned and crept slowly up to the front entrance of the post office. He looked down over the railings at the army of the dead. The ones that were walking stumbled over the ones that now lay dead after being riddled with bullets from Gregg’s gun. Cody shook his head. He watched as some of the dead walked out of the shopping centre spreading out like wild fire, walking in all directions. Some heading up Kinfauns Drive, some heading across the road and up towards Drumchapel High School also heading down towards Great Western Retail Park. The place was literally Hell on Earth.
Cody shook his head, more in shock than anything else. He then breathed deeply, turned and headed over towards the post office main entrance, just as he was about to enter, he felt a hand come down on his shoulder, he turned and was joined by Rosie. He smiled and she smiled back.
“I’m coming with you,” Rosie told him, not taking no for an answer this time, “Gregg needs us.”
Cody nodded and both of them began walking, their feet crunching over the broken glass.
Then out of nowhere bullets started flying by them and into them. Cody got hit first in the arms and then the chest then his head. He fell to his knees before another bullet came flying through the air towards him, hitting him square between the eyes. He fell down dead. Rosie was beside herself, tears streaming down her face. But she couldn’t scream it’s as if her voice was lost. She looked at Cody then looked towards the entrance and began running into the post office trying her hardest to scream until more bullets were fired flooring her instantly. She fell to the floor like a sack of potatoes and watched through glazed over eyes as a pair of boots walked (rushed) over to her. She heard the scream of anguish as the booted person fell to their knees, before her eyes closed forever.
CHAPTER 37
TIME TO ESCAPE
As soon as Michaels and Katy heard the gun shots followed by the screams they ran over to the entrance to see lying riddled with bullet holes Cody and Rosie. Katy screamed and Michaels stepped forward to console not only Katy but Gregg as well. He reached forward and took the gun off of him.
“Gregg,” Michaels began, “it was an accident that’s all.” He put a hand on the teens shoulder.
“I….I….I thought it was the dead!” Gregg stuttered through tears. “I thought they were the coming to eat me.”
“Let’s just get out of here,” Katy said through tears.
They all stood up. Then Gregg through shock and awe shook his head.
“No! Those Bastards in there need to be punished. They killed my father, released a deadly virus that has raised the dead making me kill my friends. They need to be punished. THEY NEED TO DIE!!!” He turned and looked over at the vault, “please, please, please help me!” He turned back looking, begging, pleading to Michaels and Katy.
Katy turned to Michaels, and then back to her boyfriend, “Babe,” she began, “I think we should just get out of here.”
Michaels nodded, “We go down and get my wife and kids and we run, we run until we are gone away, far away from this place.”
Gregg smirked as he continued to look back and forth from the vault to Michaels and Katy, “Do you honestly think your wife and kids are alive? Mate they were taken by those assholes in there and were probably fed to their dead army.”
Michaels began to get angry and stepped up to Gregg. Nose to nose they starred at each other, “Don’t you ever say that!”
Gregg just looked at the police officer, “It’s the truth though
! Look around us. Everyone is dead apart from us three and those jackasses in there! And who knows what the rest of Scotland is like!”
“My wife and my kids are not dead,” Michaels began, “and I swear I will save them and get us all out of here even if you don’t want to come with us!”
“Okay,” Gregg began, “let’s just say they are alive. So, we save them, save your family, how in the holy hell do we get through the streets to safety? Especially when there are tons of dead people walking around like normal regular people?”
Michaels stepped back, closed his eyes for a second, took a deep breath and then opened his eyes again, “We’ll find a way. I promise you!”
A few seconds passed before Gregg nodded and agreed to leave the post office. Michaels put a hand on his shoulder and began to guide him out through the entrance.
From behind him, he heard a click of a strong lock and knew that the vault door was beginning to open. As they stepped outside, Gregg turned to Katy and Michaels, “Wait here guys I’ve left a few bullet clips in there. We will need them.”
Michaels nodded, “We will wait here.”
Gregg nodded back, then turned around and entered the post office one last time.
As he walked in, creeping in as silent as a mouse, he listened and watched as the vault door opened fully and he watched from the doorway as out stepped Lomax, West and the Prime Minister. He cocked the rifle, raised it and stepped forward.
“Don’t you fucking move!” Gregg yelled through gritted teeth.
The three leaders of Elite Corporation turned towards the front door, pointed and laughed.
Lomax started clapping, followed by the Prime Minister and then West.
“Oh no everybody put your hands up! This is the end!” Lomax laughed which was followed by his partners laughing hysterically.
Lomax stepped forward, “Listen boy, you are way out your depth here. Just put down the gun and turn around and leave.”
“Not one more step!” Gregg yelled.
“Oh please,” West began, rolling his eyes. He stepped forward and stood next to Lomax, “If you shoot us, you will be fully responsible for what happens all over Scotland.”