The Survival Chronicles (Book 3): Mercy Fall

by Nally, Fergal F.

  The whole of life is reflected in the small details—

  “There you go—” Sash offered her a bowl of steaming oatmeal, a plate of crackers and cheese.

  Mercy took the bowl and sat at the small table beside the stove. She reached for a spoon, her hand was shaking.

  What now?

  She steadied it with her other hand.

  I’m just tired, that’s all, tired and… older. New York seems like such a long time ago—

  Mercy’s mind drifted as she ate, Sash left her to her meal. Mercy finished eating and went over to the two boys who had been watching her.

  “Hey guys, I want to see my friend, see how he’s getting on,” Mercy attempted a smile.

  One of the boys grunted and stood up, “Over here.”

  Mercy followed him over to the screened off area and entered the enclosed space. Flynn lay on a camp bed his injured hand bandaged, his eyes closed. She knelt beside his bed and touched his arm. She leaned in close.

  “Hey Flynn? You OK?” Mercy asked.

  Flynn’s eyelids flickered and opened, “Yeah all good here babe, all good—” His speech was slurred. Mercy turned and looked at Marky, the lanky first aider was hovering nearby.

  “What have you given him?” Mercy asked.

  “Vicodin,” Marky replied, “it’s all we got, he was in pain, it does the job good.”

  “Vicodin?” Mercy’s eyes widened. “That’s strong stuff, that’s going to knock him out for a few hours—”

  “Yeah, well you heard Stiff, he’s not going anywhere until you’ve come through on your part of the deal. So we’re all good here, I’ve cleaned and bound his hand tight, the biters won’t be able to smell the blood through that. He’ll get some rest while you’re working for us, when you get back he’ll be good to go—”

  Mercy looked at Flynn, his breathing was steady, colour had returned to his face. She turned to Marky, “Yeah we’re all good here, just make sure you make him eat something when he wakes up—”

  Marky shrugged, “Sure, no worries.”

  Mercy leant forwards and kissed Flynn’s cheek. “Hang in there Flynn, I’m coming back for you, we got places to go, people to see—”

  People to kill—

  Chapter 26 The Killing

  “Everyone ready?” Stiff asked the small group, sheathing her sword.

  Mercy looked at the four older kids; Spider, Joker, Blaze and Kiki, two boys and two girls, they looked mean enough. Spider carried a hunting crossbow, Joker held a fire axe, Blaze a nailed baseball bat and Kiki carried a wicked looking machete. She also noted the back-up knives on their belts. Mercy stood with the backpack and the liquid Taser gun in her hand.

  This piece of shit had better work. We’ve not got a single firearm between us—

  The kids sounded off one by one. Stiff seemed satisfied, “Remember, this is a silent attack, stealth is key. Fly has checked on the NSA outpost. They have three soldiers on the edge of Sundance Square, their attention will be on the south and west, towards Constantine’s forces. They’ll not be expecting a rear attack, we’ll use the rat runs and alleys, even the roofs if we have to. We know where the tropes are clustered, we’ll avoid them, we’ll go in hard,” Stiff paused and looked at their faces. “We’re not looking for prisoners here, you all know what you have to do—” she left her words hanging.

  The others nodded.

  Stiff turned to Mercy, “And you Dawes, you’re on point, you go in first. You gotta take out two of the bastards at least with that thing, we’ll take care of the third guy. You think you can handle that?”

  Mercy glanced at Stiff then at the liquid Taser in her hand, “Yeah, if this thing works.”

  “We’ll find out then, won’t we, if not, well—” Stiff’s voice was hard but her face softened, “it’ll be OK, you said so yourself, that equipment is new, never been used—”

  “Yeah well, let’s get on with it,” Mercy said, at least they had allowed her to keep her knife and they had patched up Flynn.

  And besides, it’s the only deal in town—

  They left from the back of the shop and crept in silence along dark streets for an hour. Mercy looked at her watch, she had eight hours to get to Oakland, she forced herself not to think about the things that could go wrong in that time.

  One minute at a time, deal with it—

  Stiff led them along the back streets, sometimes she stopped and waited, listening. Mercy saw no threat, but this was Stiff’s territory, she would see things Mercy couldn’t. The sky rumbled, the air was oppressive, the storm that had been brewing was about to burst.

  Shit, will a liquid Taser work in the rain? Mercy’s blood ran cold. Well I guess I’m about to find out—

  Then the sheer absurdity of the situation struck her.

  Five kids and me, attacking an NSA outpost in a city full of tropes, in the middle of an electrical storm and me with a liquid Taser. You couldn’t dream it up—

  Mercy smiled as a wave of resolve washed over her.

  Fuck it, it’s going to work, I’m going to make it work—

  Mercy gripped the Taser and followed Stiff down a narrow alley. Lightning lit the sky and for a fraction of a second Mercy could see over Stiff’s shoulder; a wide space opened up beyond the alley.

  Stiff whispered to Mercy, “Sundance Square ahead, our target’s in the south east corner holed up in a car park, NSA observation post, set up earlier today. Watch for booby traps, NSA always leave surprises. I’ll take us in, once we get eyes on and you feel they’re in range it’s over to you—”

  “Lead on,” Mercy said. She looked at the Taser and wondered.

  Stiff led them along the edge of Sundance Square keeping to the shadows and shopfronts. The square was littered with wreckage; vehicles, rubble and shell holes. The guns had fallen silent for the night and apart from the steadily falling rain the town centre was eerily quiet. Stiff took a circuitous route avoiding the carpark until the last minute.

  NSA will have night vision but without line of sight we’re invisible, nicely played Stiff— Mercy reflected.

  Stiff crouched and ran across the final exposed section, she reached a door and pushed it open disappearing into the darkness beyond. Mercy followed with the others. She sensed Stiff ahead moving swiftly up the stairs. The stairwell would be a perfect place for the NSA to place tripwires. Mercy wanted to shout at Stiff to stop, to slow down, but she bit her tongue, Stiff knew. They all knew.

  Stiff pushed on up the stairs ignoring the lower levels, they reached the top floor, Mercy smelt cigarette smoke. The hairs on her arms rose, she gripped the Taser and stopped. Stiff was crouching at an open door, her hand on the doorframe busy doing something. Mercy crept forwards and saw Stiff unhooking a length of wire from the frame, it was attached to a grenade duct taped to the opposite side.

  Stiff turned to Mercy, “They’re on the roof, over to you, follow the cigarette smoke, we’re right behind you—”

  Stiff pocketed the grenade and brushed past Mercy leaving the way to the roof clear.

  Follow the cigarette smoke, Mercy repeated to herself. She looked out onto the carpark and listened as the rain lashed the upper section overhead.

  Crazy is as crazy does—

  Mercy shut her inner voice down, her mind quietened. She closed her eyes and calmed her breathing, her senses reached out. The rain beat on the concrete, her heart thumped in her chest. Then she heard it, a footfall on her right, she lay prone and crawled out into the open carpark.

  With her eyes adjusted to the dark she could make out movement by the wall at the side of the building. One NSA trooper at least, on patrol. She crawled forwards and took cover behind a pillar. Stiff and the others emerged from the stairwell, fanning out around her. They were good and moved as a team, Mercy’s mind switched to the enemy. The soldier was on a circuit, she timed him, he was alone. The other soldiers were close, perhaps on the overhead section. She crawled to the pillar nearest the wall and waited.

  Thirty
four seconds later the soldier reached Mercy’s position. She waited until he had passed her and was walking away. She leaned out from behind the pillar and raised the Taser aiming at his back. She squeezed the trigger, for a heartbeat nothing happened, then with a burst of energy a fine stream of liquid shot from the gun snaking towards the NSA soldier. A crackle of electricity followed the liquid illuminating it from within. The liquid landed on the soldier’s neck delivering a fifty thousand volt shock. The soldier dropped to the ground like a sack of flour. He did not move.

  Mercy ignored him, counting on the others to finish him off, she knew they were watching her every move. At least the Taser worked, she was not sure of its effective range, she would have to improvise if things went wrong. She moved along the wall pointing the Taser at the opening to the level above. Rain fell steadily and trickled down the ramp from the overhead section.

  Shit, there’s no other way, I’ll have to brazen it out, they’ll be expecting the sentry to appear any time now, odds are one of them will have eyes on the city, just do it—

  Mercy stepped towards the ramp lowering the Taser, she pulled her hood up and started walking. She kept her eyes glued for trip wires until she made it to the ramp, the concrete was slick with rainwater. She moved forwards her senses alert, the cigarette smoke was stronger, mixed with the stink of male sweat. She reached the top of the ramp and looked up, a row of abandoned cars lay in front of her. Her eyes took in the rest of the roof.

  In one corner she saw movement, red light flickered underneath a car. They had not seen her, she moved to one side and hid between a Dodge convertible and a pickup truck. She steadied her breathing and dropped to her knees peering under the Dodge towards the red light. The soldiers were reading a map, she could see laminated paper spread on the floor. A burst of static hissed followed by a low tinny voice.

  A man murmured a second later reciting numbers, co-ordinates.

  They’re distracted. Go now—

  Mercy stood up, pulled back her hood and raised the Taser. She walked towards their position. She rounded the vehicle, a soldier was folding a map, her brain registered just the one target, she squeezed the trigger. The Taser hissed sending out its deadly stream of liquid, the man fell forwards his body twitching violently.

  “Hands up bitch,” a voice exploded behind her followed by the unmistakable nudge of a gun barrel between her shoulder blades.

  Mercy dropped the Taser and lifted her hands. A flash of lightning lit the night sky to the south, the radio burst into life beside the fallen soldier. Mercy closed her eyes waiting for a blow, a bullet. None came. Instead she heard a muffled grunt followed by the clatter of a weapon on the ground.

  “Nice work, Dawes,” Mercy recognised Blaze’s voice.

  Mercy turned, Blaze was standing over the third NSA soldier, bloodied baseball bat in hand. “Likewise Blaze, nice work.” Relief flooded through Mercy, maybe she would see Flynn again after all.

  Stiff ran up the ramp, “Grab the radio, we’ll be able to listen in on the NSA bastards.”

  Blaze grabbed the radio.

  Stiff bent to search the fallen NSA soldier’s webbing. “Give me a hand,” she said to Mercy. “So we’ve got three AR-15s, sixteen magazines, twelve grenades, two Glock 21s and a HK 45 not to mention knives and other shit. Nice work Dawes, now we just got to get home in one piece. On the plus side not a single shot fired, so we’ve not woken up the biters—”

  Mercy helped Stiff remove the dead soldier’s webbing, she avoided looking at the young soldier’s face, everyone had to join a team and his team were the losers that night.

  Nothing personal kid, it was just your time—

  Mercy stood and shrugged, the Taser pack was lighter, she wondered how much propellant remained and how many more shots she had left.

  Blaze returned with the radio operator’s guns and radio. Without warning a burst of semi-automatic gunfire came from the level below.

  “Shit, what now?” Stiff said. “Blaze, find an exit, you got two minutes. Dawes, on my six.”

  Mercy followed Stiff down the ramp, the lower level was dark, she squinted and made out the concrete columns and abandoned cars. Then the stench hit her like a fist.

  “Fucking tropes, wonder what woke them?” Stiff said. She ran to a figure crouching beside the nearest pillar.

  Kiki turned to Stiff, blood dripping from her machete, “Tropes came out of the stairwell, we had our backs turned. They got Joker, I saw him go down, he didn’t make a sound—”

  “OK, OK Kiki, got it, you get back up the ramp. Blaze’s working on a way out, where’s Spider?”

  “Don’t know, he must’ve fired the AR-15, they’ll be all over him now, but they’re being quiet, they’re not making any noise, it’s fucked up—” Kiki’s eyes glazed over. Stiff pushed her towards the ramp.

  “Go, go Kiki—” Stiff hissed.

  Kiki grunted and backed away towards the ramp. A figure lumbered towards Mercy and Stiff.

  Stiff shouted, “Spider? Spider, is that you?”

  The figure stumbled and halted for a second then jerked. Mercy raised the Taser, Stiff stepped forwards and flicked on her torch. Spider was standing five feet away with a trope on his back, its arms around his neck and legs around his waist. The trope’s head was buried in Spider’s neck feeding on exposed flesh.

  Jesus, how can he still walk?

  Stiff froze, her right hand clenching the HK45. Mercy took aim and squeezed the Taser’s trigger, a jet of liquid shot out hitting Spider’s lifeless face. Fifty thousand volts of electricity flew through the air into Spider and the trope. Spider’s knees buckled, he slumped to the ground, the trope was thrown from his back landing hard against a concrete pillar.

  Stiff ran to Spider and crouched beside him, she swore when she saw the blood pumping from a deep gash in his neck. His eyes rolled and he went limp, his life drained. More shapes moved towards Stiff, Mercy fired at the nearest bringing it down.

  “Stiff, move, get your ass, get outta here,” Mercy shouted, adrenaline taking over.

  Stiff snapped out of her shock and aimed the HK45 at the advancing tropes, she opened up bringing three of them down with headshots.

  “Go on, get moving,” Stiff said, taking Spider’s rifle and pistol.

  Mercy turned and ran up the ramp. The rain was falling in sheets, she had difficulty seeing through the downpour.

  “Over here,” a voice hailed from the left. Mercy turned to see Blaze standing on a fire escape ladder waving at her.

  Nice one Blaze, nick of time—

  Mercy ran over to the fire escape casting a look over her shoulder. Stiff was retreating up the ramp firing the AR-15 from the hip whilst shooting the Glock 21 left handed. Three more tropes fell on the ramp. Mercy turned to Blaze and the fire escape.

  The next ten minutes passed in a blur; the descent on the ladder to the streets below followed by a reckless dash across Sundance Square ignoring cover. Then a long winding run, through dark alleys, riddled with death and decay. Things that moved were shot or stabbed. Mercy kept her eyes fixed on Blaze’s back following her every move. Blaze kept one step ahead, powering over obstacles and fences. Mercy was aware of muffled fighting from behind, she took her lead from Blaze and did not turn.

  Survive, survive, get through it—

  Mercy finally stopped when Blaze stopped, five feet ahead, she was crouching behind a petrol tanker her shoulders heaving with the exertion of running so long without a break.

  “Get up on the tanker, get eyes on the street ahead, I’ll guide the others in from down here,” Blaze pushed Mercy towards the ladder at the back of the fuel truck.

  Mercy didn’t argue, this was Blaze’s town, she knew the streets, her life was in Blaze’s hands. Mercy climbed the ladder and looked at the street ahead, nothing moved. She turned to see Blaze re-enter the alley they had just left.

  Shit, she’s going back for the others—

  Mercy looked at the Taser in her hand, the pack felt light.
She was running on empty.

  Blaze better return soon—

  Mercy walked along the tanker’s roof her eyes searching for danger. The far end of the street looked familiar, she remembered the configuration, they had passed this street on the way to Sundance Square. It was near the retail park, a scrabbling sound came from the back of the truck. Mercy swung around pointing the Taser at the ladder.

  A bloodied fire axe appeared followed by Joker’s head and shoulders. “Come on Dawes, follow me. Blaze’s found Kiki and Stiff, she’s taking them in by another route, we’ve split up to throw off the infected—”

  Mercy needed no encouragement, she climbed down from the tanker and followed Joker to the end of the road. Starlight lit the streets, to the south burning buildings made the sky glow. The smell of charred flesh hung heavy in the air. Mercy glanced into a bombed out building as they passed, trope gore decorated the ruin like fresh paint. Her stomach heaved, meat would never be the same again.

  Fuck it, there’s a thin line between life and death. We’ve got to get out of here, I’m gonna take Flynn when we get back, we’re heading east to Oakland now, we’re not waiting for morning—

  Joker turned down a side street before the main T-junction. Seconds later they were back at the rear entrance of Stiff’s base. Joker tapped on the door whispering his name through the keyhole, the door opened and they were ushered in to the dark corridor.

  “Glad to see you Joker. Stiff, Blaze and Kiki made it back five minutes ago. Heard about Spider, that’s some bad shit—” the figure locked the door then led them down the corridor. They emerged into the shop interior and Joker went to the centre of the room where a crowd had gathered.

  Stiff, Blaze and Kiki were there. Stiff was covered in blood but appeared unhurt, she looked at Mercy and nodded, “Glad you made it Dawes.” She nodded at Joker, “Good job Joker.” Stiff paused and pulled out a crushed pack of cigarettes from her pocket, she extracted one and placed it between her lips. Her hands shook as she lit the cigarette, she took a deep pull and handed the cigarette to Kiki.