Endgame (Book 1)

by W. A. R.

  “Get inside now! Follow me!” he hollered to everyone, wrapping a secure arm around Shelly and hurriedly making way for the now open gate. The mass of people followed behind them, bustling at a quick pace. “I have Shelly!” he called out to Brian, who was nowhere to be found. He didn’t respond and George didn’t wait for him to. She searched for him but to no avail, and tears flowed across her face at the pain in her arm. She couldn’t move it, and Brian was nowhere to be seen. This only served to anger her, her worry giving way to something more sinister. She pulled away from George stubbornly and aimed for the porch. Shelly glance up to see Jackson and Bobby-Jean on the porch, guns aimed steadily at the group that approached them. Cries were still heard, but no words were being spoken. Shelly, gripping her hurt arm climbed the stairs two at a time and stood between Bobby-Jean and Jackson, pulling her 9mm from her waistband and aiming it at the people before her.

  “George, we have this. Go help them.” Shelly said aloud, unsure of which shadow in the dark belonged to her friend. She watched then as a shadow darted from the crowd and ran toward the gate before turning to the throng of strangers before her, all of whom had stopped and was staring at her in surprise, relief, fear…a myriad of emotions on each and every face.

  “No!” a girl exclaimed from the crowd before her. Shelly searched for her face but could find nothing in the darkness. The pure unadulterated terror in her voice made Shelly stop short “Stop him! Bring your people back in!” the girl begged and pleaded.

  Shelly studied them all, feeling uneasy. Anger was now her friend; she needed Brian back. She let her arm hang limply at her side, it swaying with every slight move she made, but she no longer paid notice to it. Instead her focus was on the voice shouting at her to bring her people back.

  “Do it now!” a man bellowed at her and she trembled from the demand in his voice. Briefly she was curious as to what they were so desperate for, what they were so afraid of. She felt uncertain and anxious but she needed to regain control of the situation.

  Clearing her throat, she began. “Allow me to make myself perfectly clear. You will shut the fuck up, be perfectly quiet and still or you will be shot. Am I understood? If you cost one of our people their lives, I will not hesitate to take yours.” Her voice was low and threatening; menacing. “Have a seat and make yourselves comfortable until I tell you otherwise.” She demanded. No one from the audience moved.

  “Don’t do this! Bring them back.” A low voice growled, desperate. The man shifted and Shelly could make out his silhouette. Shelly remained silent as he neared her, her fear spiking. She stood no chance against them, not really. Her shoulder was on fire, and Jackson and Bobby-Jean were older, weaker, and unused to the world. Sure they had guns, but it was dark and they were all damaged. They could be overtaken within seconds.

  “I said don’t move.” She barked, hoping her voice sounded more sure than she was. He continued towards her and Shelly lifted her gun and aimed it at him and he stopped, raising his arms above his head. Bobby-Jean, Jackson, and Shelly kept their guns steady, aiming at individual people and it was then that Shelly realized that there were two other men advancing them. They had all stopped at the sound of Jackson’s hammer clicking.

  “You don’t understand what…”

  “Don’t make me kill you.” Shelly interrupted him and the man lowered his head. Could she kill him? She wasn’t sure. She thought that if their lives were on the line she could do anything but she wasn’t entirely sure about that. Either way, she hoped he believed her, even if she didn’t believe herself.

  “Please. They’ll die.” He said and she felt a wave of doubt run over her. No, he was wrong. “Bring them back. I am begging you. You will regret it if you don’t.” She stole a glance at the gate, watching as two silhouettes hustled around and she wandered what they were doing. She swallowed, glancing at Jackson and Bobby-Jean who were studying her. His words had hit home for them and Shelly felt no other option as available except to believe the man. And then he said something that made her blood run cold.

  “Aren’t you wondering what we are so scared of?” She wanted all of their people back then; she wanted Brian back. She lowered her gun and stepped forward, Jackson and Bobby-Jean watching her. She barely made it to the bottom step when she heard it. The roar sounded again, causing everyone to jump because at that moment it was along the wood line outside of the fence. Every pair of eyes turned to focus on the sound, searching from where it had come. It was loud, and it hurt Shelly’s ears; her eyes searching for an answer just as everyone else. And then, she saw it and time stopped. Her heart froze in her chest, and things had gotten so quiet, a pin could be heard dropping.

  In the pale moonlight, between three silhouettes of her own people, stood two behemoth Biters, snarling and surveying their prey. The three men edged closer to Shelly, cautious and uncertain, their eyes on the scene outside of the fence. Shelly’s mouth went dry and tears filled her eyes, the next words flowing from her lips laced with terror.

  “Help them.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  George ran, his adrenaline pulsing through his veins and his blood pumping into his heart, putting it in overdrive. His senses were alert, and he heard everything; he saw everything that his sight would allow him in the darkness. He skimmed the darkness and saw Brian race along the fence to Miles who was doubled over, his left hand gripping his head. Amber was across the road, stumbling toward the gate, holding the hand of an older woman, dragging her behind. George reached the gate and unraveled the loose chain, swinging the wrought iron door open for her. Amber thrust her inside.

  “Go to the house with the rest of your people.” she demanded hastily of the woman, who scurried off in the direction for the house. Amber turned to George, and then began searching for any stragglers before spotting Brian and Miles on down against the fence. George heard the rustling of leaves and acted, grabbing Amber who was about to run to Miles and Brian. He wasn’t sure what made him do such a thing but something inside of him went cold. Every thought in his mind froze as he pulled Amber’s back against him, arm securely around her chest. He released the gate quietly and eased her back into the shadows. She quickly opened her mouth to protest and he just as swiftly muffled her words with his other hand. She struggled against him until she heard it. The footsteps were unhurried, tedious and the silence that accompanied them made his skin crawl. Their eyes followed the sound of dragging footsteps and they saw two massive Biters make their way to the asphalt road. They walked with purpose, as if on a mission, and damn were they huge. George had forgotten that some humans were created so big; they stood closer to seven feet than six, their bodies wide and domineering. Muscles, or what used to be muscles, (George wasn’t sure how to categorize them) bulged over their body. Something was different about those two; and he could tell that he wasn’t the only one to think so as there was no other sound to be made, no other move to take. Everyone had frozen in horror and he realized that the group they had aided was running from them.

  The Biters searched around them, their lifeless eyes looking, their noses sniffing at the air. George felt Amber’s heart racing against his arm, her body trembling at the sight before them. Brian and Miles had frozen in place, standing somewhat under the shadow of a tree, and were directly in front of them, lacking about ten feet from being able to touch them. He felt Amber begin slowly reaching for her handheld pistol in the waistband of her jeans. George quickly removed the arm that held fast across her chest and caught her wrist.

  “There may be more. Do not shoot.” He told her in a barely audible whisper against her ear. His voice shook with emotion and she stopped her progression towards her gun. The loud screaming roar of one of the Biters filled the air, ripping apart any semblance of peace they had. Amber quickly slapped her hands over her ears against the piercing sound, George cringing in response. The sound was horrible; it was pain, anguish, desperation, and hunger all rolled into one banshee yell. It threatened to tear him into pieces. Amber sh
uddered against him and he knew she had felt it as well.

  The second Biter opened its mouth, his jaw dropping lower than what was a physical possibility, and he released the same deafening scream. George stole a glance at Miles and Brian, who stood against the fence, although it seemed they had moved silently away from their previous area and were closer to George and Amber. All four of them stood still, staring dumbstruck at the massive, flesh eating abominations before them. They continued sniffing at the air, their hands clenching and unclenching into fists, but they never moved; they simply continued to stand still, searching. George swallowed the immense amount of fear that overwhelmed him, because he knew then that the Biters knew they were there; that the Biters could feel their presence. Their relentlessness surprised George, and his eyes began probing around him for any possible way out. The sickening sounds of other Biters coming towards them only heightened their fear and George thought for sure that he was going to die.

  Their heads pivoted in every direction, never giving up when the sudden sound of desperate footsteps was heard coming out of the woods. Heavy panting filled the air, and the Biters stood still, turning their attention to the wood line where the sounds came from. Out of the darkness of the woods, what seemed to be a middle-aged man stumbled out about 30 feet from them. He froze when he saw the Biters, his terror-stricken face pale in the moonlight. Within a moment’s thought he began running toward the fence as fast as he could. The Biter closest to him began advancing toward the man while the other continued searching for them, not even budging and obviously not concerned with the man. George’s panic heightened as the man hit the fence and gripped his fingers through the metal, the toes of his shoes pushing his body up. He struggled up, climbing as fast as he could. Miles and Brian stood about ten feet away from the man, watching in fright. The Biter walked up to the man and gripped the back of his shirt, jerking him to the right; this seemed like a conscious movement, and Amber took a step back, her leg pushing against his. She had noticed it as well. The man yelled in surprise, releasing the fence and falling hard on his back at Miles’s feet. George could hear the man gasping for the air that had left his lungs at impact. Miles attempted to move away from the man, but it was fruitless; Brian stood directly behind him, unmoving and staring at the other Biter who had directed his focus towards them. The first Biter began towards the man but…stopped, raising his lethargic gaze from the man, to Miles. The man scooted back hurriedly on this hands and feet, bumping into Miles’s legs, which stood frozen on the spot, his back against Brian’s tense stature. Miles and Brian now stared at the Biter, who kept his focus intently on where Miles stood, his stare going directly through Miles. George’s heart hammered in his chest as he heard the monster inhale deeply, growling in response to what he smelled: Miles’s blood.

  Everything happened at once, within seconds, but to George it was like the world stopped. The Biter roared angrily, reached down and grabbed the stranger by the throat. The man struggled, scratching at the Biter’s hands, but the Biter never took his eyes off of Miles. Miles and Brian immediately reached for the guns they had slung on their backs, stumbling back away from the Biter. The monster picked the stranger up with incredible strength, one hand gripping his shoulder and the other grasping his hip. The man screamed as the creature quickly bent him back at an impossible angle. George winced at the sickening sound of his back breaking, and the thud that followed as he fell to the ground unmoving and silent. These Biters were not simply looking for food. They were overly aggressive, their actions deliberate. No sooner had Miles and Brian brought their guns around did the Biter reach forward, jerking the weapons from their grasp and tossing them to the side so quickly George almost didn’t see it happen and then he roared, alerting the second Biter. Brian unsheathed his two knifes, charging recklessly at the Biter in a nervous, desperate attempt at control. Amber jerked in response to the action, but watched in horror as the Biter clenched his fist and hit Brian square in the chest in just the split second that she moved. Brian flew back about four feet, clutching his chest, his lungs burning for air. His back slapped the ground and his head hit hard with a sickening thud. The second Biter began towards him while Miles sidestepped the first Biter, giving himself time to ready his weapons. George could see other Biters, seemingly normal Biters, advancing towards the unconscious Brian, towards the fighting Miles, and blood ran cold. He could feel Amber’s heart pound in her chest against his arm. George and Amber took action then, hurrying towards the Biter that was aimed for an increasingly unconscious Brian. Amber grabbed her handheld ax from her hip and reached for her pistol in one motion as George readied his rifle. What happened next was a blur.

  “Hey handsome! Come get me!” Amber shouted angrily at the second Biter, fully catching his attention. She stomped resolutely towards the monster, and George felt his heart hammer even harder against his ribs, and yet felt relief for Brian. He held the butt of the gun against his shoulder firmly, his aim on the Biter stalking towards Amber. She appeared puny compared to him and he knew that she was terrified. He glanced in Miles’s direction, seeing that he as well was small compared to the behemoth creature that reached for him. The first Biter charged towards Miles, but Miles quickly evaded this move, and the first Biter roared, circling in on a now armed Miles. The second Biter swung at Amber, and she swiftly bent back, avoiding contact. She mumbled obscenities, her eyes scouring around her for any opportunity to take the monster down. He growled in response as George tried to get a good aim on the creature in the dark. He swung again and she ducked, stumbling on her feet and falling to her knees. He reached down for her, but she scrambled out of his grasp, her hands scraping the weapons across the asphalt. George watched in horrified shock as the Biter heaved, his breathing rapidly growing heavier, and he reached for her again. She reflexively rolled to her bottom, thrusting her feet towards the monster’s chest. She released a yell with her effort, shoving back with all of her might. He stumbled back in shock, but stood firmly in place at the same time.

  George felt a heightened sense of fear prick the back of his neck and he turned, caught by surprise when a Biter advanced towards him, pushing him. He quickly scrambled for his knife, searching frantically for it as he tried to maintain his balance. The Biter pressed forward, wildly snapping and reaching. Fear was his companion as he tried to shoved back at the undead monster. He heard Amber’s whimper, and the tussle from Miles’s direction and he forced himself to remain calm. They couldn’t die. Hunger filled moans carried closer from the surrounding woods and he knew they were closing in on the four of them, three struggling to stay alive, one unconscious, and none of them to prevent their advancement. They were coming to feat on them and they were going to succeed. His hands grew slick with rotted blood and flesh as he struggled, trying his best to turn back to his two friends.

  A gunshot sounded in his ears and the Biter crumbled to the ground beneath his hands, dark blood splashing across George’s face. He didn’t waver; he simply turned in surprise, seeing two men he guessed were from the other group come towards him through the gate. They were running, one lowering a rifle. He nodded at George and that was the only confirmation that George needed to accept their help, to trust them.

  “You get the big guys and we have the rest.” George didn’t say anything; instead he turned back to the scenes of loathing and brutality before him, replacing the butt of the gun against his shoulder. The two men advanced frantically, their movements jerky and George knew they were just as terrified as they were. He watched as a culmination of Biters advanced Amber’s form as she rolled to her side from the Biter as it slung down his fist. One of the two men fired their gun and dropped a Biter next to her. It fell with a thud and she jerked her face to the right, coming nose to nose with the now dead creature. She shook it off and George noted how the Biter was focused resolutely on her, pay no mind to anyone else around him. She gripped her weapons in her hands and hurriedly stood, not witnessing the destruction that the other two men were causi
ng around her. Biters fell at their feet as they drove whatever weapons they could at them. George swallowed, watching as the two men split, one going towards Miles, who was also becoming surrounded by the monsters as Miles charged at the first Biter, catching him by surprise, his arms wrapping around the creature’s torso. The weapons were now nowhere to be found and George knew he had missed something. With a rebel yell, they both crashed to the ground and began rolling in the dirt, both Miles and the creature swinging at one another. What in the hell was going on?

  The second Biter stepped back from Amber and screamed in fury. Could these things feel? Why were they not trying not to feast on them? It seemed as if they only wanted to fight, to feel a challenge. Amber quickly brought her pistol up in a moment of opportunity, aiming it at his head and pulling the trigger, but just as hastily, he hit her arm hard, sending the gun flying and the bullet ricocheting through the trees above them. She growled and swung her ax at him. George’s fingers began trembling against the trigger, wanting nothing more than to run to intervene, but he knew that his place was there, waiting for a clear shot on either Biter. The ax dug into the flesh of his arm and again, the Biter hit her arm, harder than before, causing her to shriek in pain. Before any thought could be processed, the Biter stepped forward, his hand snapping towards her and instantly the creature wrapped his fingers around her neck, jerking her feet from the ground. Miles struggled to his feet, attempting to put some distance between the first Biter and himself. The behemoth Biter had other ideas however, as he jumped to his feet and grasped the back of Miles’s shirt, picking him up and slinging him against the fence on a fierce roar. Another shot was fired, and another Biter fell to the asphalt. The fence gave a way only a little, but it softened Miles’s fall to the ground below. He grunted from the impact, standing as fast as he could. Before he could get steady on his feet, however, the Biter was there, swinging with a wide arch. The blow snapped Miles’s neck to the left, and he collapsed once again to the ground. Amber gasped for air, clawing desperately at the Biter, peeling layers of flesh from his hands but he never budged. His rotting corpse embedded beneath her fingernails as she tried to pry his fingers from her windpipe. She kicked at him, and all he did was step closer to her dangling form that was in his grasp and squeezed harder. Her eyes began bulging from their sockets and George saw it. He pulled the trigger, his aim on the second Biter who had stepped into the moonlight enough to be clearly seen. The butt of the rifle kicked against his shoulder, and the shot rang out as the Biter slowly collapsed to his knees, releasing Amber, who fell into a jumbled heap on the asphalt, clutching her tender neck and coughing. Her feet hit first and then her shoulder and her head with a disgusting thud. Her head rolled to face the ground as she gasped and George immediately ran to her as the Biter fell to his side, dead. Before he could make it to her however, she was scrambling to her feet desperately, coughing, choking. He followed her stare and saw the first Biter straddling Miles, both hands around his throat choking him while slamming his head on the ground. Miles struggled against him kicking at the ground frantically.