The cell bloke was quiet as I reached it and I almost jumped at my own shadow as I snuck in through the already open the door, I expected to see guards or someone standing there but as I got in closer I realised that the guards had been downed and were on the floor dead. Their throats had been slashed and their blood pooled darkly on the floor. Rushing over I peered in to where Callum should have been but he was gone.
Where was he? The others had only left a few moments ago, which meant Callum was either extremely lucky or that he was more dangerous than I had anticipated. Thinking he might be looking for me, I quickly spun on my heel and ran for the door only to be greeted by some more voices heading this way, looking around I tried to find a hiding place, nothing good jumped out other than the old staircase which had been blocked off by some old crumbled building parts. Running up the few steps I hid behind a large piece of cement that had once been a part of the ceiling just in time as the two voices walked in.
“Hay guys I got some food for ya”, the bloke’s voice said before turning into, “Oh SHIT!”
“What is it?”
“They’re fucking dead, shit Danny’s gonna kill me”, the voice sounded panicked.
“We could try and find him first before we tell him”, the other voice suggested.
“No we need Danny now, if anyone’s gonna find him it will be him. Come on”.
And just like that they left they didn’t even search the other cells which I realised I hadn’t either but as I came down the steps I could see they were empty.
I ran to the door and stepped out hiding behind a nearby tree, maybe I should find out which apartment is Danny’s that way I would find Tanya and I could get her out. If Callum was still around I was sure he would find his own way out if I didn’t find him. We could just wait at the truck till he arrived.
Sticking to the darkness I followed the two misfits into the apartment complex and watched as they made it to one that had lighting but only by candle flame and some lamps. It was situated on the top floor up a metal staircase with two guards outside. I didn’t know whether they were there all the time or whether he put them there since I arrived, either way it didn’t matter I needed to get up there and distract them somehow.
Ducking behind an old suitcase trolley I waited, a few moments later Danny came out speaking something to the guards they nodded in unison before he then took off down the steps and with the other two men one of which now had a split lip and headed towards the cell block. One of the guards left his post and went to the floor below and banged on a window, a young women with long mahogany red brown hair opened it and spoke, she nodded and then came out and went upstairs to the apartment I guessed my sister was in. Then the guard was back in his position and they both looked out before turning to chat.
How the hell was I going to get up there?
Then I heard the muffled footsteps, they weren’t that of a human it was a…creature!
It lunged for me as it had obviously picked up my scent, sighing I had no use but to show them my position and shoot it as I had no time to reach for my knife. BANG! The noise let out a flash of bullet fire as it tore into the creature’s brain, the brain and tissue flew out around me plastering the walls in a thick gunk.
“Hey you”, I heard one of the guards shout before bullet fire ripped past my face and into the wall behind me.
Jumping up I ran in the other direction from which Danny had gone, he would no doubt hear the gun fire and come running and I didn’t want to run into him. I dodged the bullets by vanishing into the darkness, I could hear them still firing but now no longer at me as I could hear the howls of more creatures. I thought this place had been secure? Well secure ish. The big guns didn’t seem the type of people to look over a spot where the creatures could get in through.
Where I hid I spotted some people coming out of their apartments, I could tell the true big guns from the innocents, the big guns would come out all guns blazing at the new horde of monsters headed their way but the innocents had no weapons and would run back inside their makeshift homes to protect their families and friends that hid inside.
As I got up to try and manoeuvre to a better spot a woman came running out with her child, “I want daddy”, the girl said as the mother tried to hide her from sight.
“We will go to him now he will be at Sam’s flat”, she spoke nervously.
Then out of nowhere a creature lunged out the darkness about to rip into the woman’s throat, I leapt out and shot it in the head covering the poor woman in blood but at least she was alive. She turned to me worried for her child’s safety.
“Take this”, I said handing her the gun and the few bullets.
Nodding she thanked me before grabbing her child and running into the darkness, I just hoped they make it.
Pulling back out the penknife I took it easy, without a gun I was easy prey to both parties of monsters but I was better with a blade than maybe that woman was and I would feel so guilty if I survived and they didn’t because they had no weapon. Hiding behind some stairs I leant out to look at Danny’s place the guards were gone, now was my chance.
Rushing over I managed to get past a fight between two men and a creature whose teeth tore into one of their throats making them scream. I took to the stairs and made it to the top in seconds forcing it open I came face to face with the mahogany haired woman holding her child.
“Who are you?” she asked me concerned for the kid’s wellbeing.
“Where’s Tanya my sister?” I asked her.
“It’s you, you’re Stacie?” she said.
I nodded, “Please is she here?”
She shook her head, “No she went looking for you, she heard the guards say that they spotted you and another one said that Craig was dead”.
Great so she was out there in this, “Look stay here ok if she comes back tell her I’m looking for her”.
The girl nodded, “Ok”.
I took off back out the apartment and fled to the small street below, two blokes that had been fighting the creatures were both dead and bloody on the floor and I took it upon myself to stab the creature in the head to kill it. I didn’t have to worry about the two blokes as it looked like one had accidentally shot the other and the other one had been so mauled by the creature there was no way he was still alive. But in their death was a silver lining as I took a gun one of them had been holding for myself which meant I was back in the game.
Rushing through the complex trying my hardest to search the dark corners for any sign of my sister, I had come this far and I was not going to lose her now.
~
Tanya heard the guards shout and shoot down at the street below the apartment making both her and Chantelle jump out of their skins, then through the half open window she heard one shout, “That’s her, the Stacie girl shoot her…”
“Wait there are creatures”.
A few gun shots then another voice, “Guys Craig’s dead she killed him”.
“Get her”.
Tanya’s blood ran cold as she realised her sister was outside being shot at and being surrounded by creatures. Turning to Chantelle she looked at her, “No Tanya you can’t, what about Cain?” She asked.
“He’ll be safe with you just till I get back, I need to help her”, she said.
“No you can’t leave us”, Chantelle pleaded, “What if something happens?”
“Look”, Tanya started as she rummaged through the broken chest of drawers, “Here take this”, she handed the girl her pistol, “No matter what you keep him safe”.
“A gun I don’t know…”
“Just point and shoot”.
Then she opened the door and rushed out leaving the bewildered girl with her son, she didn’t have to worry about the guards as in all the commotion they had left their posts and got themselves killed. Snatching one of their weapons she headed off into the fight that was happening all around her, she raced forward following the mass of destruction which she hoped Stacie had avoided, people w
ere running round screaming, the people she had helped capture and in a way kept safe.
She saw a group of the higher ups fighting a small horde of the creatures, their howls and wails tore through the coming night sending terror and fear through the people that wanted to live. She spotted a woman and a little girl running this way, the woman held a small pistol which looked similar to Craig’s? She knew that because she had been the one to issue him with it when he had joined but Stacie had killed him right? She approached the woman who she remembered to be called Celeste.
“Celeste where did you get that weapon?” Tanya asked her.
The woman looked at Tanya a little fearful, she knew the rules only the higher ups were allowed guns, “A girl gave it to me”.
Tanya could see she wasn’t lying to her, “Did she have long blond hair?”
The woman nodded, “Yes she went that way”, obviously knowing that’s who she was looking for.
“Thank you now go keep little Kaitlin safe”, she said looking at the young girl, Celeste nodded and ran off shooting a lone creature as it stumbled out of the shadows.
Tanya ran off in the direction that Celeste had pointed her in keeping mind to keep to the shadows so the creatures wouldn’t notice her and also Danny if he was still around. She kept low and had her eyes peeled everywhere, then she noticed a flash of blonde hair on some stairs up ahead vanishing into an apartment. Racing after the blonde hair she reached the apartment within thirty seconds, pushing the door open she found the main hall to be empty.
“Stacie?” She called out but it wasn’t her, another girl with long blond hair walked out one of the bedrooms clutching a kitchen knife and bag.
“Bee I…um just was thinking of…”
“I don’t care if you were thinking of running, do it whilst you can. Have you seen another girl with hair like yours at all?” she asked her.
The girl shook her head, “No sorry”.
“Ok, well go quickly, once Danny has a hold on this situation there will be no other chance. Just don’t get killed ok”.
“Er ok…Thanks Bee”, she replied pure shock on her face that the Queen Bee had a sudden change of personality.
“It’s Tanya, my real name is Tanya”.
The girl ran out the flat and was gone before Tanya stepped foot outside. She tried her hardest to see over the holiday complex, a large group of creatures were headed this way from where the swimming pool and the alley that led to the beach were, someone must have let them in as there had been strong barricades at all the entrances and exits to this place. Maybe Stacie done it or Callum? Or maybe there was just a coincidental weakness in one of the barricades that gave under pressure from all these monsters.
“ARGH!” a cry rang out from below her, Tanya looked down to see a man running from a strange looking monster, this one had its eyes sewn shut and looked like a hospital patient.
“Hey move over I’ll shoot”, Tanya cried out aiming the weapon but the bloke didn’t respond instead her ran into the arms of an elder creature who grabbed the poor guy and tore his arms off with such strength that it made Tanya freeze for just a moment then she turned the weapon and shot both the blind creature and the elder one.
As she looked up from the mangle of bodies below she caught a glimpse of blond hair and jeans, “Stacie!” she shouted but her sister was too far away to hear her, she was near the big top tent and about to enter it, “STACIE!”
But she was gone.
Feeling the need to chase after her she spun round only to come face to face with another creature, “How the hell did you get up here?” then she noticed it was a fresh one, the person had only just turned and must have already been up here somewhere. The fresh bite wound on its neck was dripping with red blood, its eyes wild and yellowed and fuming with rage, the thing had once been one of the peasant men with no skills but he had begged to have been kept alive and in exchange for his vehicle they had let him stay. His eyes burned into hers as he pounced ready to clamp down on her neck, lifting her arm to defend herself he ended up knocking her flying into the railings of the metal staircase. The railings on the stairs were not high and the force of his body weight toppled Tanya over the edge and she fell to the ground with a thud.
She was out for a few minutes before coming round to find she was alone, the creature had also fallen off the stairs trying to make sure he got his meal but the impact had broken his neck. Lifting herself up she squealed out in pain, her chest was burning. She took a look to find that there was no outer wound and that maybe she had broken a rib. Trying to get to her feet she cried out as the pain rippled through her body, she had to find Stacie. She took a step forward and knew that she wasn’t going to be able to look she was too badly hurt, then she noticed a small bloodied patch on her arm, her heart stopped as she realised she must have caught her arm of the stairs on the way down and broken the skin. She needed to get back to Cain and Chantelle and make sure they were ok, she would have to find Stacie later she looked to be able to handle herself and maybe with any luck she would find her apartment and come to her instead.
Taking off at a small limping run she headed back the way she had come, she only had to use the gun twice to kill one of the blind creatures and one of her own people as he tried to use an innocent woman as bait to lure a creature in to kill it. So she took it upon herself to kill him, he like so many of the big guns were useless, gutless idiots that needed exterminating and after so long of wanting to be able to take them down now was her chance.
The woman looked shocked to see that the ‘Queen Bee’ herself had saved her but before she could thank her Tanya turned and ran slowly to her apartment that was now in view. Reaching the steps she cried out as she made her way up, each step hurt so much that her eyes were streaming when she reached the door, she cried out to the Chantelle to let her in and the girl did still holding Cain in her arms.
“Oh my god what happened?” She asked her.
“I fell, I’m hurt but I’ll be fine. I need you to do me a favour ok?” she sort of asked the girl.
She nodded, “What is it?”
“I need you to go and find my sister, she ran to the big top tent just as I got hurt but I can’t make it. She’s blonde and…”
“I know what she looks like she came here looking for you but she wouldn’t stay she left looking for you”, Chantelle replied.
“She was here”, Tanya’s voice was exasperated.
She nodded, “Look I’ll find her ok”. She held onto the gun Tanya had given her, “Will you be ok with Cain?”
“I’ll be fine, make sure she comes to me ok”.
Chantelle nodded, “Stay safe” and then she was gone too and Tanya was left alone with her son who was whimpering a babble, confused by all the strange commotion going on around him. She hoped Stacie would come back soon, Tanya was feeling strange, maybe it was the broken rib or the cut on her arm but she felt odd. Still once Stacie was here they could leave and find help and she would be fixed up and they could raise Cain together somewhere.
~
I ran into the big tent, it wasn’t far from the apartments and maybe Tanya had come here thinking I was going to try and leave without her which wouldn’t be possible for me, not after coming all this way. There were a few creatures in here and with the gun I stole I shot them down in a heartbeat, looking over at the stage where me and Callum had been captured I found it to be empty and quiet. Looking to my right over to an old shop I saw it was being used as a storage room a twinkle of metal gleaming in the light made my heart dance in delight, they had stored my bag and my rifle inside along with other people’s belongings. Now all I had to do was race inside and grab my things and shoot the hell out of all the miserable bastards that stood in my way. Running forward I nearly made it to them before a voice made me shudder.
“Well hello there little lady, I wondered when you might show up”, I froze as Hugh’s voice trolled through the air.
I turned to see him hiding on the stage hidden in
the gloom of a mouldy curtain, the nose of his pistol was sticking out aimed right at me.
“Drop the gun missy and kick it over to me”, he snarled.
I done as he said dropping the gun to the floor and kicking it towards the stage, he smiled at me a rancid look that said so many things were going through his head about what he was going to do to me. He hopped down from the stage and walked over to me his gun aimed at my chest, reaching me he back handed me so I fell sharply to the floor. He bent over me and grabbed a fist full of my hair making me arch my back as he pulled my head up.
“Thought you could send in the monsters and get away with it? Well you’re so wrong missy as we are far scarier than those things”, he pointed to the ones I had killed a few moments ago.
“Get lost”, I snapped at him, I was so pissed off now.
“I don’t think you’re in a position to tell me what to do now do you?” he snarled, his hot breath on my cheek.
His words reminded me of the deranged doctor and he had found out how I reacted to being told that. His grip on my hair was tight but I could feel I had a little give so I tried to out manoeuvre him by twisting quickly, a sharp stinging sensation pulled at the roots of my hair burning into my scalp but I had to try. Spinning fast I tried to stab him with my blade but he caught sight of it first and swiped it out of my hand putting it to my neck, “I think we’ll go somewhere a bit more private”, he said dragging me towards the stage.
I tried my hardest to get him off me, I struggled and wriggled to get him to loosen his grip so I could act on it or run but this just seemed to excite him more and he laughed into my hair.
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