The Hunt Chronicles (Volume 3): Crusade

by Demers, J. D.

  More howls echoed outside as DJ and I reloaded. Again, hands quickly reached in and began to pull on the planks. The outside rain masked everything but brief glimpses of movement through the opening.

  Just as I released the bolt on my rifle, a spear flew through the gap, passing between DJ and me, and impacting the right side of the Stryker. I heard Preacher curse as he ducked to the side.

  DJ moved to the right and I took cover on the left, next to a support beam. My sister joined me.

  “Christian—” she started to say, but stopped as multiple scabs screamed in unison outside.

  One of the posts surrounding the perimeter of the barn had been made into a battering ram. It crashed through the hole and slid across the dirt stopping five feet from my position. One of the limbless zombies was still lashed to it and its head twisted and writhed at the sight of us.

  Several hands returned to the widening hole, now ripping whole panels of wood from the door. I was about to fire when a scab dove through the opening and rolled to the side.

  It was male, completely naked, and wielding a small hatchet. Its body was covered in both self-inflicted scars and recently healed bullet wounds.

  DJ turned and riddled the creature with multiple rounds, causing it to stumble back and fall against the east wall of the barn.

  I focused on the hole, eyeing the hands and arms tearing at the planks, I judged where I thought their bodies would be and let loose a trio of bullets. A pair of hands disappeared just as the other side had been expanded two feet, making it easy for any scab to enter the barn.

  Pittman wasn’t waiting any longer. He opened the door on the second floor and began to shoot toward the ground outside. Jenna started to come up behind him when both of them shouted and dove to the side. Three spears flew through the opening, narrowly missing them.

  Jenna dove into a patch of hay near the hay door, but Pittman stumbled and flipped over the railing, falling into one of the stalls below.

  My ear buzzed with questions from Campbell and Fish, but there was no time to answer.

  Three more scabs jumped through the opening. All were male and wielding melee weapons. Boomer edged closer to my side, barking at the intruders.

  I shot at two scabs that dove to the left. They took cover behind the stall Pittman had landed in.

  I changed focus to a scab DJ had started to engage and the two of us took it down with more than one shot to the head. I was empty again and switched out magazines. My sister had somehow broken free of her bonds and Ray was on his feet holding out his bound hands begging Trinity to cut him free. Gus was cowering behind a wooden barrel while Goblin was on his feet jumping up and down with excitement.

  “Give me a gun!” she shouted.

  I didn’t have time to figure out where she had hidden a dagger but I knew we needed all the help we could get.

  I indicated to my Glock strapped to my waist.

  She yanked it out of its holster and back peddled toward Ray.

  I turned my attention back to the opening in the barn, feeling a sense of unease that my sister might betray me, but those were things I didn’t have time to consider.

  Wails from the scabs were still resonating outside, confirming that we had a large force of the beasts attacking us.

  More scabs popped into view. One of them was preparing to throw a spear through the hole. I shot it several times and it reeled back and out of sight.

  Another scab, shrieking defiantly, rushed toward the opening. Its head smacked the top of the hole, twisting and breaking its neck on impact, and I realized it had been pushed through. The bottom of the door, which was still partially intact, split and widened.

  The beast that had been holding the scab as a shield and battering ram tossed the limp creature to the side and roared an ear-piercing shriek.

  I froze as ice shot up my spine.

  It was Tikel. He had tracked us all the way from Dixie County.

  The Ogre stood like a demon in the middle of the barn. The chain with the sharpened shard of metal was wrapped around his right forearm. The grenade Fish had thrown at him had mutilated him. The left side of his face, though healed, looked like charred hamburger meat. His left eye was milky white and the ear and all the surrounding hair was missing. His left arm ended with a stump at the elbow, but the lack of a limb did nothing to stem the terror he radiated.

  Four more scabs poured in behind Tikel, fanning out throughout the barn.

  A spear from one of the new arrivals drilled into a beam two inches from my head.

  I fell to my back, ejecting my magazine and fumbling for a new one.

  Tikel stood in the center, slowly twirling his right arm, uncoiling the chain wrapped around it.

  DJ began to engage Tikel, backpedaling toward the Stryker as he did so. Tikel rotated, taking the rounds in his left side.

  One of the scabs charged, running directly at Ray and my sister.

  Ray yanked a pitchfork off the wall and spun to meet him. The scab impaled itself in the chest. Ray twisted, using the scab’s own momentum to slam the beast against the wall.

  It did little to slow it down, though. The scab, unaffected by pain, yanked back on the pitchfork, ripping it from Ray’s hands. Just as he pulled it out of his guts, Trinity, from three feet away, shot it in the head with my pistol. It slumped to the ground.

  Preacher and Karina had exited the Stryker and began firing at Tikel. Preacher might as well have been shooting spit balls as the .22 caliber rounds harmlessly imbedded into his skin. Karina fired a quick burst, peppering Tikel’s chest. The Ogre jumped back, dodging a second volley.

  Enrique grabbed his sword and rifle and hopped out of the Stryker.

  DJ had no more time to focus on Tikel as two of the new arrivals rushed toward him. He released a quick burst from his rifle at the legs of one of them. The scab crashed to the ground as its right knee exploded from the large caliber bullet.

  DJ cursed as he ran out of ammunition.

  The second scab was only six feet away when its head exploded. Jenna had recovered and took up a firing position from the second floor on the banister. From her perspective, though, only DJ and the scabs he faced were in her line of fire.

  DJ gave her a thankful nod before whipping out his 9mm pistol.

  There were still three scabs near the newly formed eastern entrance. The two who had dived behind the horse stall reappeared and one chucked a spear at Karina. She ducked behind the stove and it flew past her. It nearly hit Enrique as he ran from the Stryker.

  Loud machinegun fire erupted outside as Big Red pulled up to the barn. The report of the M240 continued to hammer, answered by shrieks of rage. I had no idea what Fish and the others were facing, and didn’t have time to worry about it.

  I was focused on Tikel. The chain had completely unraveled and hung loosely as he held the large, metal shard in his hand.

  A yell came from the second floor. As much as I wanted to check on Jenna, I knew it wouldn’t matter if I didn’t get my AR15 reloaded. I pulled my last magazine from my vest and slammed it into the well of my rifle.

  “Protect Christian!” DJ bellowed as he sidestepped in my direction, shooting off half of his magazine.

  Tikel turned to the threat and I took the opportunity to steal a glance at the second floor.

  Jenna had backed up halfway across the barn, edging along the banister. The side of her arm was a crimson red and hung limply at her side.

  Approaching from the open hay door were three scabs. One was carrying a machete while the other two held spears. The three had scaled their way up from outside the barn. One reached down and yanked a spear that had stuck in the floor.

  Ignoring what was transpiring on the first floor, I took aim and fired a volley at the three monsters converging on Jenna. I nailed one of the spear wielding scab’s cheek. The bullet exited the top of its head with a small spray of red and pink mist. It fell over the banister and to the ground.

  Another scab took four rounds to the body
before the two remaining scabs dove out of view.

  Jenna was no longer holding her rifle and had neglected to arm herself with her pistol before she climbed to the second floor. She maneuvered too far away from the ladder and was inching closer to the opposite hay door on the west side of the barn, right above the Stryker.

  Tikel grabbed my attention once more with a deafening howl.

  Enrique, maneuvering around the barn, knelt and took aim at the monstrous scab.

  Jenna escaped through the hay door. The scabs on the second floor, no longer having prey on their level, dropped almost directly on top of my sister and her friends.

  Boomer whined and growled ferociously, aching to get into the fight. There was a bark to my left and before I could stop him, Boomer darted to where my sister was.

  Gus shrieked with terrifying agony.

  One scab had stabbed the machete into Gus’s chest before any of them could react. The poor man’s eyes were wide with fear as it was retracted and drilled into his throat.

  Ray screamed with anger as he rammed the pitchfork through the throat of the scab. The two began a dance, with the scab trying pull the farm tool out while Ray maneuvered and tried to keep him off balance.

  Trinity was squaring off with the other scab. Leia snarled as the scab took a swing at Trinity with its spear. Trinity jumped backwards, wildly discharging two rounds.

  Boomer, at full speed, leapt up and clamped his maw on the scab’s wrist. Leia, taking the cue from him, sunk her teeth into his opposite forearm. Two hundred pounds of canines pulled the flailing scab down before it had time to defend itself.

  Boomer let go of the wrist and dove in for the scab’s throat. Leia, still clamped onto the forearm, pulled back and raked deep groves in his flesh.

  Violently shaking his head back and forth, Boomer ripped the esophagus free from the scab’s neck.

  Trinity, allowing the dogs to do their deed, turned to help Ray and shot the scab he was fighting twice in the head, using the last of her ammo.

  While my sister and Boomer engaged those scabs, I took aim at Tikel.

  Enrique began to pepper Ogre sized scab, but he was only a dozen feet from him.

  Tikel lifted his stump, protecting his skull from both my and Enrique’s assault. He charged at the closest threat. Enrique had only fired six rounds before the distance was cleared.

  Enrique began to retreat as the dark shadow loomed closer. Tikel swung the shard of steal like a dagger. Enrique tried to dodge away, but it raked his back. His scream was loud and short as he slammed into the dirt.

  DJ, still inching his way toward me, fired the rest of his rounds at the large scab, grabbing Tikel’s attention once more. But DJ now stood in the line of fire of Karina and Preacher, forcing them to cease their assault on the Ogre.

  The war outside the barn raged on as more weapons fire erupted, followed by numerous ear popping explosions. Fish, Campbell, and the rest of Big Red’s crew were using everything in their arsenal to repel the attack and keep any more scabs from entering the barn.

  The threats were quickly disappearing, but the main one, our nemesis, was the true danger.

  I took a breath, aiming for Tikel’s head. I fired three times, but missed every shot. He was moving erratically.

  The giant scab hurled his metal shard. It flew true, directly at DJ’s chest.

  DJ dodged down and to the right, but it wasn’t enough. The shard ripped across his left shoulder, tearing through his shirt, vest, and flesh. Luckily, Tikel was hampered by the relatively tight enclosure, and was unable to swing the chain, eliminating the weapon’s most dangerous aspect.

  DJ cursed as he collapsed to the ground.

  Tikel, taking full advantage of his prey’s debility, leapt toward DJ.

  Pittman had emerged from the horse stall sometime during the battle but he was dazed and had little time to recover as the remaining two scabs at that end of the barn leapt toward him. He no longer had his rifle, but he quickly drew his sidearm, dispatching the two fiends after a short dance of dodging and countering their moves.

  I crossed over DJ and toward Enrique, emptying my last magazine while attempting to deter Tikel from his charge. It worked and he ducked to the side, directly at my sister and her friends.

  Ray had withdrawn the pitchfork from the dead scab. He saw Tikel stumbling his direction and with a wail, he charged before the beast could take another step. He rammed the pitchfork into Tikel’s side just above his kidney. The forked end buried to the base.

  Tikel’s elbow answered, driving down hard onto Ray’s shoulder. Bones cracked as Ray slammed to the dirt with a painful wheeze.

  Karina and Preacher both repositioned themselves, staying as close to the west wall of the barn and the Stryker as possible. But Karina didn’t have any more ammunition. She only carried one back up and the rest were in the CDC bus. Preacher’s .22 rifle was worthless and he knew it.

  “Preacher!” I shouted, still maneuvering toward Enrique. “Grab Karina and get in the Stryker!”

  Once Karina had finished off her last bullet, Preacher grabbed her and dragged her into the vehicle. She fought, trying to stay in the battle, but Preacher pushed her inside and sealed the door, locking the two of them safely away.

  We were screwed. No one had any ammo left. There was backup ammo in the Stryker, but there wasn’t any time to reload the magazines. Our threat was right there and he wasn’t giving us a chance to breathe.

  Tikel raised his large foot and slammed it down on Ray’s head. It cracked like a melon and brain matter shot across the dirt floor.

  He spun back to DJ, who was dragging himself back toward the Stryker, clutching his lacerated shoulder. With three quick whips of his arm, he retracted the chain, leaving the shard of steel resting near his feet. He snatched it up and roared at DJ.

  I prepared myself to intercept the large scab before he reached DJ.

  Before I could move in, Trinity darted ahead, wielding her small blade like a Japanese assassin from centuries ago. She was quick and light on her feet, ripping the dagger across Tikel’s back, causing him to whirl around and face the new threat.

  I wasn’t going to let her die. I yanked out my K-bar. The black, seven-inch blade reflected no light in the barn. It was hardened steel, and I guessed more than enough to penetrate Tikel’s rigid muscle.

  Tikel swung the shard at Trinity’s head, but she was too quick and rolled out of the way. He stepped closer, but by that time, I had cleared the distance and rammed the K-Bar into his back. My target was his spine, but I wasn’t accurate enough to aim between his vertebrae.

  The knife hit bone and deflected deep into his back, penetrating his Kevlar-like muscle. I felt the blade move as he sucked in a breath. I had pierced his lung, but it wasn’t enough to stop him.

  Tikel spun like a tornado and struck me in the head with his forearm. Stars exploded as the impact flung me to ground, landing on top of Enrique.

  Trinity continued her assault. I could hear her breathing heavy as she slashed at Tikel and eluded his counterattacks.

  I tried to move but my legs wouldn’t work. My knees wobbled as I strained to get into a crouching position. My vision was a haze of moving lines and shapes. I scarcely made out Trinity going toe-to-toe with Tikel, barely evading his deadly shard as she repeatedly thrust her dagger into his body and legs.

  But Tikel would not go down. Trinity’s attacks were mere pinpricks to the Ogre.

  Tikel seemed to grow bored of the melee, and changed tactics. Trinity dove in, sticking her small blade into his hip. He grudgingly took the dagger, accepting whatever minor damage it imposed. Before she could recover, he kneed her in the stomach.

  The impact lifted her off her feet. She retched, ejecting everything in her stomach, along with any air left in her lungs.

  Trinity collapsed in front of Tikel, unable to move or defend herself.

  “Trinity!” I screamed as Tikel, still holding his blade, grabbed her by the hair and lifted her up to his
eye level. Her legs hung limply, barely moving.

  Trinity could do nothing. She gasped, trying to suck in air. Twisting and writhing in pain, my sister feebly tried to kick him, but her foot barely made contact.

  Tikel’s head tilted, as if examining Trinity.

  Suddenly, Tikel dove in, biting her savagely on the arm.

  “No!” I screamed.

  Boomer, at the sound of my voice, lifted his head from the ravaged scab corpse. The dogs’ attack on the scab had left him virtually decapitated. Without any hesitation, Boomer and Leia charged Tikel.

  Enrique squirmed underneath me.

  I searched for his gun and cursed when I realized he was lying on top of it. Using every ounce of strength I could muster, I tried to roll him over. My head was swimming and my muscles were refusing to work properly.

  I pushed and pulled, but between his weight and my disorientation, I couldn’t move Karina, let alone Enrique’s stocky body.

  I collapsed, overexerted and unable to move. I twisted my head and looked at the monster holding my sister like a rag doll.

  Tikel had only taken the one bite and I realized he was trying to infect her. I swear, for a moment, I saw the beast smirk before tossing Trinity carelessly to the ground.

  Boomer and Leia, as if they had been fighting together for years, attacked Tikel like a pair of hungry wolves.

  Leia dove in, snapping at Tikel’s leg. The Ogre retaliated, trying to stomp on her. But Leia’s attack was a diversion and she safely jumped back as Boomer grabbed his extended leg by the ankle.

  Boomer attempted to pull Tikel to the ground, but he just wasn’t strong enough. It was like an infant latching on to its parent’s leg.

  Tikel planted his entangled foot and kicked down with the other. Boomer dodged, but Tikel’s foot caught him on the side of his head. Boomer slammed to the ground, unconscious from the blow.

  Leia, knowing she was outmatched, retreated to where Trinity fell. She hunched protectively over my sister, growling and barking at the Ogre.

  Suddenly, in a rage, Goblin yelled an insane war cry and jumped on Tikel, grabbing him around his thigh. The small man reared back and bit into Tikel’s flesh, tearing and pulling, ripping a hunk of meat from his leg.