“We need to push them back.” He said. “We have to give the rest of the guys room to get up.”
“Roger that, remember to aim for their heads.” Kate said, pressing forward. They’d taken out a few of the monsters, but more were on their way. This particular hallway was long and housed more rooms than she could count. If there were at least two monsters per room, they were going to need a lot more ammo.
Terrance joined in her firing against the beasts as the rest of the team climbed up to meet them. By the time Kate had looked back there was only one more person left to take the rope: Jake.
Even over the sounds of barking orders and flying bullets she was able to hear the whip crack of the rope.
“Jake!” She yelled, running past her teammates to where the rope had hooked. She saw nothing in its place except a frayed wire. She shined her flashlight down the hall.
The sight at the end of the tunnel was a pile of mangled limbs and blood that somewhat resembled Jake.
“Kate! We need to move!” said Terrance, bringing her back into the moment.
She shook it off and focused at the task at hand. With the five of them firing, they were able to take down the remaining savages and make their way to end of the hall. From there they made into the stairwell, which they were able to use like a ladder to make it to the next floor. They didn’t want to risk using the cruise ship’s elevator for fear of being trapped in a metal box.
The journey to the mid-level of the ship was easier than expected. Because the mid-level didn’t have any rooms or housing, there were very few monsters to content with. The only trouble was gaining access to each level when the ship stood vertical. But eventually they managed to make it to the area where people board the ship.
“Can we get out through here?” Kate asked.
Terrance looked over. “I don’t think the copter can pick us up from here. There isn’t enough clearance. We need to go higher.”
Unfortunately for them that meant they would have to go through the dining area, which was no doubt the largest area in the ship. It was entirely possible that the captain had the crew and the passengers on those levels crowd into the dining room for safety.
“Are you sure that’s the best choice? Is there any way for us to go around it?” Kate asked.
Terrance shook his head. “I’d love to, but since we’re vertical I can’t be sure where we’re going. We could get lost or worse. We need to cut through there as fast as possible. From there we can get to the forward deck. That’s where the pilot can pick us up.”
Kate took a deep breath. “Alright. Let’s do this.” She motioned for Terrance to take up the front. He nodded and went ahead. Everyone else followed his lead.
They made quick work of the other areas and were soon standing in front of the door to the dining room. They all checked their equipment and made sure their weapons were fully loaded.
“Are you all ready?” Terrance asked. “This all we need to get through and we’re home safe and remember head shots only.”
They all nodded. At once both Kate and Terrance opened the door. A rush of furniture came flying at them. All five of them managed to move out of the way in time before the pile could sweep them aside.
The group was immediately met by the sound of high pitched gurgling. The stench of rotting flesh filled the room. It didn’t help that they were forced to climb their way through the dining room.
Kate led them inside, keeping her gun trained in front of her. The last she wanted was for one of those hideous creatures to pop out and take her.
There wasn’t any lighting. By now the daylight they were hoping for had disappeared. The only thing that provided light was the flashlight on the rifle.
Then there was a scream! Kate turned around and one of their soldiers, she wasn’t too sure on the name, they’d been put together so quickly, had disappeared. There was the sound of screams fading into the distance and the squishing of flesh being torn open.
Four of them remained. They were only a quarter through the dining room. They had to move at such a slow pace to ensure their safety. Rushing things meant people might slip and fall back to the bottom.
The beasts began to show themselves. One by one they were attracted to them by the scent of fresh human flesh.
Kate opened fire, doing her best to hang on to the rope that was attached to her belt. The monsters – whatever they were – seemed to stick to the wall with the skin. It had become something of a paste, allowing them to crawl across the walls.
These monsters seemed more advanced in their disease than the first few they saw. Their faces had fallen off almost completely. The others simply had their faces hanging down off their skeletons. Blood flowed from the openings, pouring on to Kate’s goggles and the faces of her team.
In the struggle another member of the team was lost. If Kate recalled correctly his name was Connor. He lost his grip on the rope and fell to his death. He didn’t even have time to struggle before the creeps descended on him, tearing him apart.
Kate continued firing, doing her best to spray as wide as possible. They were covering the walls so there was no way to miss. After every few second she should try to climb a few more feet.
There were only three of them left and they were so close to the exit. They only had a few more feet to go. But the monsters had encroached on them and were picking up speed.
Kate went to fire and only heard a dull clicking in response. She was out of ammo. Kate immediately tossed the rifle at one of the monsters and drew her sidearm. It was a small pistol with only nine shots. But it would do the trick until she got to the door.
There was so much noise that Kate could barely think. She was running on pure instinct now. She could see the door up ahead. She was nearly there. After another few shots she made the leap, pushing the door open.
A rush of cold air flooded the room and Kate felt like she could breathe a little better. The air was salty and cool like the water. She could hear the beating of the helicopter’s propellers. She only hoped they weren’t too late to make it on board.
“We’re coming!” she yelled. “We’re nearly there!”
The helicopter came in closer, shining a search light over the ship. “I see you! Once you’re out of there I’ll drop the ladder down.”
Those words gave Kate the final push she needed. She let off nearly all the remaining rounds she had, giving her enough room to make it out of the dining room.
She was now near the outside pool, which had since drained because of the ship’s vertical stance. She stood on the other double door of the dining room, reaching out for Terrance. He was also using his side arm to give himself clearance to exit.
Once he was close enough, she hoisted him up to the exit. That only left their remaining partner, a young man named Laurence. He was struggling to make it up and it appeared as though he’d be out of ammo any second.
Terrance had already climbed the rope and was calling out for Kate to follow him. She looked down one last time at Laurence. Then checked her pistol. There was still a remaining round in it.
She did the most humane thing she could think of. She closed one eye and held her arms steady. Then Kate put a bullet in Laurence’s head. His body went limp as he fell into the darkness of the dining room.
Kate then slammed the other door shut and joined Terrance on the helicopter.
“Get us out of here!” he yelled to the pilot.
The copter turned at once to take them back to the carrier.
Both Kate and Terrance rode in silence.
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Aboard the SS Victoria Page 2