She looked at him but didn't answer.
“It’s called fucking...up.”
“Yes sir, sorry sir.”
“What’s new with the Chinese?”
George’s phone rang before anyone could answer, it was Michael. He left the room and took the call in the hallway.
“Michael, what have you got?”
“Sir, the Chinese have made landfall, I’ve been trying to contact you for hours.”
“The satellite was down Michael, I’m sorry. How big of a deployment are we talking about?”
“Dozens of landing crafts sir, possibly more, that’s just what I can see. Looks like they're moving in heavy equipment too. If we don’t do something now, there could be thousands on land in a few hours.”
“It’s handled, Michael.”
“How sir? I haven't seen a single friendly out here yet. Sir...what did they use on those civilians?”
“What do you mean?”
“The bombs they dropped...they didn't kill people, they changed them.”
“How do you mean?”
“I had an encounter with several of them, they’re alive, but not human. They don’t speak, they just attack on sight. Their strength and speed are incredible, they almost killed me. They feel no pain, nothing short of a shot to the head even slows them down?”
There was a long silence, then George responded.
“Look, just stay away from them, I’ll see what I can find out for you. Make sure you keep your gas mask nearby.”
“Will do. They seem to be concentrating more of their soldiers further up the waterfront, I’ll try to get closer.”
“Alright, stay sharp Michael, stay alive. Call me when you get something new.”
“Roger.”
George ended the call and leaned back against the wall. He bit his nails whenever he was stressed, they would be jagged and so short they hurt by morning. He walked back into the command center.
“You, fuck up.”
“Caitlin sir.” She frowned.
“You're gonna have to earn your name back. Put the word out to our containment teams, they need to disperse those crowds and fall back. By any means.”
“Sir are you suggesting…?”
“Those are your orders.”
Chapter 6
Reunited
10:50pm
Xavier was running into more resistance than there was earlier in downtown Seattle, there were more savages in the streets and he had to double back several times. Anna had finally come to, and thanked him for saving them, they introduced themselves and she told Xavier how she knew Lisa and Charles. Xavier told her of their experience together in the skyscraper downtown, they both were amazed at how fate brought them back together. Xavier told Anna his plans to go to the hospital, she had no rebuttal, she was determined to get downtown to find her husband Tim.
Xavier asked Anna what she had seen on the news when the attack first happened, she recounted what she saw.
“I was sitting on my couch watching T.V. when the story broke on the news, it was about 15 to 20 minutes after I first heard Jets roaring overhead. They said we were under attack by Russia and China, I just sat there and thought…. there’s no way. One of the reporters went downtown to cover the story live, she was a few seconds into her report when a lady ran up behind her and stabbed her in the neck. Two guys tried to pull her off the reporter, she turned and punched one of the guys so hard that she knocked him out, then she turned and went at the other guy with the knife before they finally cut the feed. I couldn't believe what I was watching, I was horrified. The part that was strange was that the cable went out, and I mean long before the power went out. It was like they didn't want anyone to know, a lot of people were caught off guard.”
Xavier was confused, why wouldn't they want people to know they were under attack?
As he neared 2nd and Cherry St. A large explosion lit up the street several blocks ahead of him, he slammed on the brakes and stopped in the middle of the intersection. More explosions could be seen and heard all around the city, Xavier knew right away it was an artillery bombardment. He turned right, down the hill towards the water, the artillery rounds were landing deeper into downtown. When he reached the waterfront, he couldn't believe his eyes, dozens of naval beach crafts were pulling up to the peers and coast line.
Hundreds of troops deployed right into downtown Seattle, light vehicles and helicopters poured onto the streets. Illuminated only by a clear moonlit night, their identities were unknown. The barrage of artillery continued as gunfire erupted on the waterfront, the savages had found prey. The sound of the gunfire drew more of them to the water, Xavier turned around and headed back inland, toward the hospital. The streets were flooded with killers, the only way out was through the crowd. He slammed on the pedal and plowed through them, he dodged what he could, but the crowd was just too dense. They only made it as far as 3rd Avenue before he realized it was too dangerous to continue, he yanked the steering wheel and turned south on 3rd. Once he found an opening, he turned east again and headed up the hill toward the hospital.
Lisa had fully come to and began to panic over the site of Charles lying there unconscious, she leaned over to him and cradled him in her arms. She caressed his face and called his name, he began to move and slowly woke up. She cried when his eyes opened and held him tight, she had never been more afraid of losing him than she was in that moment. She looked down at him and said, “Mommy loves you, chucky butt.” He gave a subtle laugh and replied, “I love you too mommy.”
As they approached 9th avenue, the crowd of savages began to thin out, it was easier to maneuver but there were still savages at every turn and heavy debris from damaged buildings. Xavier made a right south on 9th, the car began letting off steam from the radiator. The repeated collisions with live bodies had caused enough frontal damage to the car to damage the radiator, the BMW was overheating. Just as they cleared the intersection an explosion from their rear ripped through the streets behind them, the shockwave was enough to cause Xavier to lose control of the car, they slammed into an abandoned car and stalled.
Xavier picked up the 9mm from the center console and loaded a fresh magazine, he handed it to Lisa and told her to aim for the head. She wanted to refuse to take a life, but instead she refused to let anything happen to Charles. He picked up his rifle and got out of the car, the entrance to the hospital was partially collapsed and there were several savages out front making their way toward them. There was an ambulance on the grass near the side of the building, it was tall enough to give them access to the roof of a connected one-story partition of the hospital.
Lisa, Anna and Charles got out of the car and followed Xavier’s orders to head toward the ambulance, the savages nearby reacted immediately. Four savages closed in on Lisa, Anna and Charles, Xavier, still near the BMW, fired at the killers. He struck two of them in the head but missed the others. Lisa, stopping in front of the ambulance, turned and fired at the remaining two. She hit one dead center in the face, surprising for Lisa who didn't appreciated guns even slightly. The last savage was in a full sprint with Lisa in his sights and no time to react, she tried to take aim, but he was moving too fast and she panicked. He was so close that she just turned her head and closed her eyes, she waited for the impact, but nothing happened. When she opened her eyes, the Savage laid dead face down beside her, he didn't appear wounded and no one got a shot off at him. Anna and Charles had already made it to the top of the ambulance, Lisa began climbing up to join them.
Xavier was still by the car covering Anna and Charles, he had taken out several savages and now was dangerously close to being surrounded. He ran for the ambulance and jumped on the hood, Lisa fired at several savages in pursuit but wasn't able to kill them fast enough. Xavier yelled for them to continue to the roof and through the window on the second floor, he would have to stay to give them a chance. He kicked a savage off the roof of the ambulance and reloaded his weapon, it was like a scene from a bad 90’s
action movie only without the corny cliché one liners. There was only enough room for a few savages at a time to climb the front of the ambulance, Xavier could focus his fire long enough to give Lisa and the others a chance.
Anna ran over to the window and tried to push it open, but it was locked, she yelled for Lisa. She ran over to see the window, it opened inward and was locked with a small latch on the inside. She pushed Anna and Charles back and then fired 2 shots at the bottom of the window, the first shot shattered the window and the second destroyed the latch. They helped Charles in and Anna followed, Lisa ran back over to help Xavier. The savages had begun to rock the ambulance violently, Xavier could no longer make accurate shots, he jumped on to the roof of the building while Lisa provided cover fire.
Xavier reloaded his rifle and told Anna to get in the building, she ran over and climbed in. Through the window was a ladies’ restroom, it was dark and empty. Lisa ran over to the door and opened it hoping to find something to barricade it with when Xavier got through, instead she was met with the barrel of a gun. It was 11:07pm.
11:02pm
After hearing Sgt. Brent’s threat over the radio, Jamal began to fear for Mrs. Schulz's life, she was an innocent, sweet old lady that hadn't harmed anyone. If they didn’t release the officers soon, he would kill Mrs. Schulz, but if they released them, they’d all die anyway. He knew that the Sergeant was only threatening Mrs. Schulz, Jake and the others were still alive. He held his ground and trusted Jake’s judgment, there was nothing more he could do.
Officer Williams laughed at Jake and Sheila after hearing Sgt. Brent’s transmission, he doubted Jake would let an old lady become a casualty of his miscalculated heroism. Jake began to understand the mistake he made in rushing to take over the hospital, surviving the swarms of savages downtown gave them more confidence than they could handle. While he and Sheila were being held captive, at least the rest of the group were safe, now there was an incredibly difficult decision to make. Jake knew giving in to Sgt. Brent’s demands would mean the whole group could end up dead, however he was not prepared to sacrifice an innocent life for his miscalculation.
Jake picked up the radio and began transmitting,
“Sgt. Brent, this is Jake, we don't want anyone to get hurt and have done no harm to your officers, they're safe. We felt we were being held against our will in unsafe conditions, so we freed ourselves. Mrs. Schulz just lost her husband to a gang of those killers out there, she's the last person that needs to be in this position. There has to be some middle ground for us all here, right now it seems we’ll die regardless of my decision. Let us meet face to face, just you and me, we can iron this out.”
There was a silence that seemed to last for ages, then finally the squawk from the radio sounded followed by Sgt. Brent’s voice, “No, two minutes.”
An explosion rocked the building momentarily knocking out power sending people to the floor, Jake fell down a flight of stairs and lost the gun. Officer Williams seized the opportunity with no hesitation, he struck Sheila with a brutal backhand that knocked her into the wall of the stairwell and down to her knees. Jake came to a rest at the bottom of the stairs in pain but uninjured, Officer Williams ripped the pistol from Sheila's hands and pointed it at Jake. He thought about going for the gun, but the officer would surely shoot him at this point without thought, he surrendered.
More explosions shook the hospital and surrounding areas, the people began to panic and doubt the hospital would continue to provide protection against the altered world that had developed outside. Officer Williams now had the upper hand and both pistols, he escorted the two down to the second floor. They emerged onto the floor from the stairwell and walked through the cafeteria, Jake in front of Sheila with Officer Williams trailing. Sgt. Brent smiled when he saw that his officer had come out on top, he grabbed Mrs. Schulz by the arm and walked over to Jake. Looking him in the eye, he scoffed at the defeated old man and gave a head-butt square to Jake's nose. Jake collapsed to his knees and clutched at his face, the blood permeated his fingers and dripped onto his pants. Officer Brent put the pistol to Mrs. Schulz head and demanded the location of his other officers.
“No, don't!” Sheila screamed as she lunged toward Mrs. Schulz.
Officer Williams backhanded Sheila with his gun hand and sent her to the floor before she could take two steps. She turned over and glared at the officer, but made no further attempt to move.
Jonathan stepped into the cafeteria and walked over behind Sgt. Brent, he made sure to keep a considerable distance from Jake and Sheila. His act of cowardice and betrayal became immediately clear, Sheila could only glare at him in disgust.
“After all the times we save your ass today, you do this to us?”
“This place is safe, and you guys are trying to ruin it, all you had to do was stay in quarantine. I’m not going back out there, I don't want them thinking I’m with you because we came here together.”
As Sgt. Brent was about to speak, the sound of gunfire caught his attention, it was coming from the restroom. He signaled with a head nod for Officer Williams to go investigate, he walked across the cafeteria to the restroom. Sgt. Brent held Mrs. Schulz at gunpoint and watched over Jake and Sheila, Jonathan remained at his side... for protection. Officer Williams approached the door to the restroom, the closer he got, the better he could hear the extent of the chaos outside. He raised his gun and prepared to open the door, but when he reached for the handle, the door swung inward, and he was face to face with an armed woman.
Officer Williams began yelling and ordering the woman to put the gun down, she quickly followed the orders of the officer. She dropped the gun on the floor and put her hands up, he then grabbed her by the hair and dragged her into the cafeteria on the floor. A little boy screamed for the officer to stop, he shoved the boy away and pointed the gun at a second woman exiting the bathroom. Sheila recognized the little boy immediately,
“Charles? Lisa? Oh my god, you guys made it.”
Realizing they knew each other, the Sergeant ordered them all to the floor. Lisa shouted from the floor,
“Xavier is still outside, he needs help.”
Officer Williams walked over to the restroom just in time to see Xavier dive in through the window, the savages only inches behind him. Officer Williams closed the door and locked Xavier in with the savages, Lisa Screamed. “No! Help him!” The sound of Xavier's rifle echoed from the bathroom, it wouldn't be long before he was overwhelmed in that small space. Officer Williams turned around just in time to see a woman sneak up behind Sgt. Brent while he was distracted by the commotion, it was Regina. She hit Jonathan in the side of the head with the butt of her pistol and then put it to the side of the sergeant's head. Officer Williams raised his pistol and moved towards Regina but was immediately met with Jacob’s pistol at his flank.
The artillery barrage outside and the gunfire from the bathroom continued, people began to seek shelter and escape and started heading for the stairwells to get to the first floor and exit. The officers and the group were locked in a standoff, then the gunfire from the bathroom halted. The door flung open and Xavier stumbled out onto the floor, he got up and pointed his rifle at Sgt. Brent. He hadn't yet realized that all the people from the skyscraper hours earlier were together again in the same room, what he did notice was Lisa and her son face down on the ground. Regina's face looked as though she was staring at a ghost, she couldn't believe her eyes. She called out to him,
“Xavier.”
He looked at her and then to his surroundings, it was an incredible sight, they made it out alive. They hadn't known each other 24 hours yet and felt connected, they all felt relieved to be together again.
Xavier demanded Sgt. Brent remove his pistol from Mrs. Schulz head and to let everyone go, he refused and instead demanded Xavier himself surrender and lay his arms down. Mrs. Schulz, with tears in her eyes began screaming,
“What are you all doing? Those people out there are all sick and killing us, why are you all in
here about to kill each other over nothing? This is madness, you let me go. I've lost the only man I’ve ever loved today so if you're going to shoot me then go ahead, I refuse to be in the middle of this pissing match for another second.”
She attempted to jerk her arm out of Sgt. Brent’s grasp but didn't have the strength, she just exhausted herself and collapsed to the floor crying.
An explosion ripped through the east side of the hospital, the entire building went dark and filled with dust and smoke. The sound of walls collapsing and debris falling from above was terrifying, people were screaming and running for their lives. Xavier ran towards the area he saw the Sergeant last, but he was gone, only Mrs. Schulz remained, highly disoriented. The rest of the group was close by and still lying on the floor. Xavier told them to stay put, he ran back over to where he was before the blast, grabbed Jacob by the shirt and pulled him over to the group. He made sure everyone was ok, no wounds or broken bones. He asked if everyone was present, Regina told him Jamal was on the 3rd floor. Xavier told the group to stay put while he went to get him, he reloaded his rifle and headed toward the stairwell.
The dust began to settle and the situation on the second floor became clearer, there were dozens of injured people. Jakes main concern was locating the two officers who were just holding guns to their heads, they couldn't have gone far, and would definitely return. Regina and Sheila began looking for a way out, apart from the big gaping hole in the side of the building, most of the exits had become packed with people trying to escape. People began screaming from the stairwell, they were yelling to go back but the massive crowd kept pushing down the stairs. The savages must have been attacking the people who escaped the building.
Xavier arrived at the 3rd floor and called for Jamal, he responded and hurried to the door. It was pitch black, Jamal still had no idea what was going on below. Xavier reached out for him.
“Jamal, it's me Xavier.”
“Are you fucking serious? Bro, we thought you were gone man, how the hell did you survive that?”
Savage Mist Page 8