by RR Haywood
The storm moves up a gear and gets worse. Staggering from the wind, I have to bend over to stay upright and watch as Lani grabs hold of Clarence. Dave simply adjusts his position to let the wind flow round him and doesn't take his eyes off the wall.
Blowers and Cookey grin like idiots at the wind I watch amazed as Cookey gives Blowers a little shove and watches him stagger away in the wind, pissing himself with laughter at the sight. Even now with all this going on, they still piss about and I get a pang of sadness at knowing Nick would be joining in with them.
Meredith stands with her head held high, eyes closed and enjoying the sensation of the wind against her face. Her coat is soaked from the rain but it isn’t cold, if anything, it’s still too hot.
The wall inches forward.
The angles of the two walls means we lose sight as the corpse wall disappears under the lea of the outer wall. The undead spread behind them keep going forwards as though walking through the wall.
Nothing happens and for a second we wonder if that’s it, they’re just going to wait there in siege until we either starve or give up. I catch confused glances from people trembling in fear on the the inner wall.
We know what they’re going to do, so we wait for the first one to appear. Single and solitary, a pair of clawed hands grasps the top of the outer wall. The rest of the body soon follows, a snaking figure with skin grey and drawn in deathly pallor, and lank dark hair that would have once framed a beautiful face.
It looks about while growling and hissing, searching for the next move. The infection watches through those eyes and then more hands appear, more heads and more bodies of the undead.
Slow and steady they crest that wall. I was expecting a violent fast surge but not so. Almost like they know we can’t fight back from our position.
The fear that ripples through the people gathered on the inner wall is visible. Men and women alike shake with terror at the unearthly sight.
The human corpse wall is now being used as a ladder, a climbing frame of limbs and torsos. They spread out low along the wall in a never ending surge. Gunshots ring out as shotguns take pot shots. The range is close enough and a few drop, which prompts others to commence firing and soon the cacophony of small arms fire adds to the thunder overhead, the muzzle flashes dull against the superior flashes of the forked lightning.
The wind increases, a violent solid thing that seems full of fury and rage and hell bent on seeking revenge on us for our level of wanton destruction.
Looking round I see none of my team are firing, neither is Maddox or a few of his select people. Paula refrains as well. Instead, we watch while everyone else takes shots and makes themselves feel better by killing the few they can get, hoping to stem the tide.
They soon fill the first wall and start dropping down, literally plummeting down to the alley between the walls. The first few are seriously injured from the impact, but clearly sacrifice themselves to provide a soft landing for those that follow.
The undead drop to land on the soft bodies. Staggering away uninjured, they move towards the base of the inner wall.
The flow is thick now, like ants crawling along a log, swarming over any object in their way.
I roll my head side to side and start to ease the tightness in my shoulders. Hefting the axe, I feel the reassuring weight of it, the shaft firm within my grasp. Others start doing the same, getting battle ready. Grim faces watch and assess, hearts start to beating faster now, flooding our bodies with adrenalin.
Lani holds her meat clever steady. Dave, as always, completely composed. A look of pure calmness settles on his face whilst his two knives rest with the blades turned up against his forearms.
Blowers and Cookey side by side, both shaking water out their eyes. Meredith grows visibly in front of my eyes as the hair on the back of her neck stands up. Her feet are planted, lips pulled up and eyes – the same as us – are fixed, dark and ready.
‘Dave, get everyone to spread out,’ I call out.
‘SPREAD OUT, ACROSS THE WALL…. SPREAD OUT NOW,’ his voice dominates the scene and makes me smile. They must have heard that, those thousands of undead coming at us. How many times now have they heard Dave bellowing the orders I give. Sure, the odds this time are overwhelmingly against us and there really is no way out of this but we stand together. We’ll kill many, of that there is no doubt, but when our blades become dull and our arms become heavy, they will still outnumber us by the thousands.
‘It doesn't end here? Is that what you said Dave?’ I ask with a pointed look.
He turns and smiles, a sudden quick movement that lights his face up. Nodding at me and then staring defiantly to the whole team, to everyone. Lightning behind him, thunder overhead and Dave is a god of war. He was born to do this, born to destroy.
‘THIS,’ he roars after sucking a huge lungful of air in and his voice matches that of the thunder, rolling and booming for all to hear, ‘… IS NOT THE END.’ My god, the man is transformed. He isn’t the small, quiet man we all know. He is alive, energy fiercely burning within him. ‘THIS IS A FIGHT LIKE ANY OTHER AND WE WILL PREVAIL…WE WILL SURVIVE…’
‘… YOU SEE THAT MAN.’ He holds one knife out in my direction, his arm rock steady and his face shining. That voice of his is unlike anything I have ever known.
Everyone stares at me, every man and woman on the top of this wall stare directly at me, ‘HE IS MR HOWIE AND THEY FEAR HIM…’
The ways he says it with that voice growing louder by the second holds everyone captivated, ‘HE CANNOT BE TURNED…HE IS IMMUNE…HE IS MR HOWIE AND THEY…’ He holds the other knife out to the undead scaling the outer wall, ‘THEY CANNOT HURT HIM…’
Thanks Dave. Thanks a lot mate, really appreciate that pep talk you just did there. Now everyone is staring at me with wonder and awe in their faces, apart from Lani who just rolls her eyes. Blowers and Cookey grin at the sight, knowing how bloody uncomfortable this is for me.
I tell you what though, it’s worked. Backs are stiffer, jaws are set and weapons are gripped, knives, sticks and anything else that can be taken up with such short notice.
I give everyone a firm lipped smile and nod while thanking the gods it’s pissing down with rain which’ll hide the deep blush on my face.
‘STAND FAST AND STAND READY,’ Dave bellows, clearly getting into the swing of being the spokesperson for the latest fort battle, ‘IT DOESN’T END HERE.’
‘We’re fucked aren’t we?’ Lani mutters nearby.
‘Yep,’ I reply, ‘completely.’
‘Agreed,’ Clarence adds.
‘Fucking funny though,’ Cookey grins.
‘Is,’ Blowers nods, ‘secrets out now,’ he laughs.
‘S’alright, we’re gonna be wiped out in a few minutes anyway,’ I shrug.
‘Nah, Dave said we’re gonna be alright,’ Clarence says in a slightly sarcastic tone, ‘yeah, our hundred, maybe two hundred against their thousands…’
‘Oh well, we’re here so best get on with it, lads for what it’s worth…What?’ I stop as Lani starts smirking.
‘Nothing,’ Lani replies.
‘You’re laughing at me.’
‘You always say that thing…lads for what it’s worth it’s been a pleasure…’ she mimics my voice.
‘I do not,’ I exclaim indignantly.
‘You so do,’ she shouts, ‘I’m surprised you don’t have some speakers up here to play rock music and get everyone holding hands while staring wistfully out to sea with your hair flapping in the wind.’
‘Don’t hold back Lani,’ I say with a hurt tone.
‘Well,’ she recoils, ‘it’s all so bloody macho, so…so…well, just blokey…’
‘Er…we’re blokes,’ Cookey says.
‘I’m not, Paula isn’t and neither is Meredith.’
‘So what would you prefer?’ I ask her.
‘What?’ She asks.
‘Go on, so instead of the honourable speech thing, what else should I do?’
&nbs
p; ‘I don’t know, just something normal that isn’t so…so…clichéd,’ she shrugs at the end.
‘Clichéd? I’m not clichéd. Am I? Lads?’
‘No boss,’ Clarence shakes his head, ‘not at all.’
‘I don’t think so,’ Blowers decides, ‘I never noticed it.’
‘Oh right, well clearly I’m wrong then.’
‘Lani, are you on your period?’ Cookey asks, taking a swift step away as we all burst out laughing.
‘No I’m not!’ She shouts, ‘men! Can’t have an opinion without being accused of being menstrual.’.
‘Mental more like. The lad can’t help himself, darting out of reach of both women glaring at him.
‘Cookey! One more comment from you…’
‘Sorry Lani,’ he smiles sweetly, ‘sorry…Lani…sorry Lani…Lani? Sorry Lani.’ He steps closer and closer with the look of a child on his face, facing down but peering up with sad puppy eyes. She huffs and puffs for a second but crumbles and starts smiling, then grinning until she bursts out laughing.
‘Ah,’ Cookey shouts, ‘you love us really.’
‘Yeah I do,’ Lani laughs, ‘bloody idiot.’
‘Paula,’ he turns the charm round with a big grin.
‘Don’t even try it,’ she snaps.
‘Paula, sorry Paula…Paula? Sorry Paula,’ he goes full puppy dog mode now, drooping his shoulders and making his eyes wide. ‘Paula? I am sorry Paula…Don’t be angry…’ he shuffles closer looking at the ground, then glancing up he gives a little huff as though about to cry. Blowers almost wets himself at the sight, even I’m laughing hard and can hear Clarence chuckling away.
‘Yes alright!’ Paula tries snapping but can’t help herself and laughs, shaking her head at the absurdity of it all.
‘Yes!’ Cookey shouts, ‘you love us too don’t you Paula, don’t you Paula, don’t you…’
‘Yes,’ she shouts, ‘I love you all.’ She shouts at the very moment the thunders stops, making everyone turn to face her with puzzled glances.
‘Alex!’ Dave shouts.
‘Yes Dave, sorry Dave,’ he steps back in beside Blowers.
‘We have a big horde coming at us Alex.’
‘Yes Dave.’
‘So now is not the time for high jinks.’
‘No Dave, sorry Dave.’
‘Anymore and you’ll be brewing up for the rest of your life.’
‘Which is about twenty minutes by the looks of it.’
‘Alex!’
‘Sorry Dave, I didn’t mean it.’
‘You’ll be lucky to see the next twenty minutes if you carry on like that.’
‘Yes Dave.’
‘Dave, were you ever a Sergeant by any chance?’ Clarence calls out.
‘No, rank didn’t really apply in my unit.’
‘Oh, shame. Suits you.’ The big man says as he hefts his axe, ‘not long now by the looks of it.’
Turning back, I blanch at the sight of the undead now pouring over the wall and dropping onto the soft layer of bodies underneath. Dave edges forward to look down, nodding as he does so.
‘They doing it again?’ I ask.
‘They are Mr Howie, using themselves as a base to climb…DON’T JUST STAND THERE…SHOOT THEM.’ He shouts at a group stood nearby, rooted to the spot in fear. They physically jump at his voice and quickly aim down to recommence the firing.
‘If anyone gets away from this, find Nick,’ I call out.
‘Will do,’ Blowers nods seriously. The joking is done now, the humour gone. We grip our weapons and wait as the wind builds to what must be hurricane force. The rain pelts so hard it almost stings, like pinpricks jabbing again and again at our skin.
The thunder builds stronger and deeper, rolling claps that split the air apart with forked lightning. A huge, jagged flash crackles the air, lancing down to strike the top of the outer wall, flinging undead aside like they are made of paper. The static in the air from being so close is bizarre, like standing near one of those Tesla machines.
‘Howie,’ Lani calls my name as softly as the roaring noise will allow. Turning round, she’s next to me, smiling up with kindness in her eyes. She kisses me softly on the lips, ‘I love you,’ she mouths. For a second I am lost as my heart soars and booms like the thunder above.
‘I love you too…with all my heart I love you…’
‘INCOMING,’ Dave’s voice roars from behind me but I hold still, pausing as I refuse to let those filthy fucking things take this away.
‘Always and forever Lani.’ Our eyes hold as the line bursts to activity, ‘whatever happens…’
‘Go…’ she looks at me with such intensity it strikes my soul, ‘go now Howie, do your thing, do it…do it now…they need you…’ She speaks quickly, searching my eyes for the spark that drives the undead away. ‘There it is, there’s my Howie,’ she says as the rage starts building inside me. The growling, hissing, fetid stench of them offends me. They’ve driven Nick apart from the group, they’ve used my family and friends’ remains as a fucking ladder and they just ruined the happiest moment of my life. They will pay.
Rolling my head, I lift my axe high in challenge as I walk towards the undead cresting the top of our wall.
My spine ripples as electric current runs down my arms, strength floods into my legs and my vision becomes crystal clear. I can see every drop of rain as it falls and feel every variance of the wind as it buffets my face.
Breathing harder, heart booming. They can’t turn me. My grip is strong on the axe shaft. You failed to turn me. Striding forward, I see the first hands grip the ledge. The alley between the walls is thick with them and more are coming, pouring over the outer wall.
Running down I burst in front of the line with my axe raised and ready, timing it perfectly as the first one gains his feet to bare those filthy teeth at me. An uppercut takes him clean off his feet and sends him sailing high into the air to fall slowly down amongst his own kind.
The first blood of the battle is spilt and they surge up hard, reaching for the ledge to start levering themselves over.
Roaring, we attack with sheer brutality, hacking, stabbing and killing anything that crests our wall. Men with sticks batter them, women with kitchen knives stab down into faces.
Clawed hands reach out and grab ankles, ripping people from their feet to pull them down into the seething mass beneath.
Fury erupts on both sides. The wind, the rain, the thunder and lightning, it’s all forgotten as the battle begins. Lani to one side, Dave to the other and my team stretched out. Meredith comes into her own and savages with immense speed and precision, biting fingers and hands clean off as she rags and gnashes.
It only takes a few seconds for them to push us back. The surge is so strong we have no choice but to give ground. If anything, though, it serves us better as fighting down was harder. Now we’re on the same level and can use our vast experience of hand to hand combat.
The tempo of the fight gets faster and faster. Driving deep amongst them, like water I glide to be where I need to be. They fall away from me, my axe becomes light as a feather and as with before, it is an extension of my body. I do not think, nor do I really see them. They are there and I am here but every blow is where it needs to be.
The power grows and I get faster and stronger. It grows more and yet I speed up again, slicing left, right, forward and round. They are slow now, so very slow and the faster I get the more they wilt back. They physically pull away from me, faces contorted with hungry rage becoming twisted in fear. They scream and wail as I cut them down.
Still it grows, far stronger than ever before and still, I get faster. I can feel pure energy pouring from me.
They fear you Howie.
They do fear me. I am Howie and you fear me. It’s suddenly like I can tap into what I felt before. By opening my mind and accepting what I am, I allow the full scope of my energy to come in. It floods through me and tingles every cell in my being.
A feeling of calm euphor
ia comes over me and I go deeper, cutting whole sections down. Dave is off to my side spinning gracefully, but it looks slower than before. He does everything the same as before, but slower. Only it’s isn’t him being slower, it’s me being faster. My speed matches his and for the first time I match him kill for kill. He glances over and smiles, his eyes full of pride and love. We fight closer until we’re side by side.
‘Finally,’ he mutters.
Then together, we go to work.
I do not know how much time passes us by. All I am aware of is the axe, Dave and the undead. That’s it. Dave and I move together as one. We drive a path through them, laughing and smiling. Dave is actually laughing as we work side by side. He throws his head back and laughs in the face of these foul creatures. His knives flick out, my axe hammers home and nothing can touch us.
We go right through the middle and come out by the edge. Grinning, we turn round and start back in. They die and fall, never to get back up. Blood everywhere, gore coating us as Meredith breaks into our gap and joins our spree. Leaping to tear throats out, her teeth wrenching and slashing left right and front. She is so strong and so fast. Perfectly built to use her weight, strength and violence to destroy these things.
Like surfing on a wave, I let the power of it pull me along and instead of letting the fear grip me at the sight of the huge wall of water above me I simply let it be.
I can’t leap like Dave, nor can I twist, pivot or move like him. I will never, never have his grace or fluidity of movement. It’s the same with Meredith. The pair of them were born to do this, designed by nature to be as perfect as they can be.
The undead cease to be anything that was once human. They are simply things to be taken away from here.
The storm rages overhead, a brutal storm of power unknown, certainly never seen before in this country and while that storm displays the true awesome might of nature, we fight to survive.
I know men and women all around me are dying. The survivors from the fort so bravely fighting are getting taken down. Blowers and Cookey fight with their usual savagery, constantly covering each other’s flanks and backs. Lani is fast, moving more and more like Dave, letting her athleticism outmanoeuvre them as she whips that cleaver back and forth. Clarence goes for the full berserker, a rampaging bull elephant of immeasurable strength.