“Him!” Chester shouted at Stephen pointing to Bronson, slumped against the wall but still a threat as he still had the weapon in his hand.
Chester leaped over the last pew separating him from his captor and reached around his neck, pulling firmly and applying a choke hold. Mikael’s feet left the ground as he was bent over the pew, Chester dragging him down to the seat on the other side.
Stanton now had his space but could not risk firing with Chester so close. Mikael’s gun, however, discharged. He had been nearly on his back at the time so the bullet landed harmlessly into the ceiling tile above, sending pieces of fiberglass to the ground.
Stephen had reached Bronson, leaning against the wall and slowly succumbing to gravity. He was still struggling to raise his gun and get off at least one more round in Captain Morris’ direction. Stephen grabbed his wrist and twisted violently causing Bronson to wince in pain and drop the gun. Amazingly, he had enough energy to move off the wall and lay a shoulder into Stephen, sending him back a pace or two.
Bronson leaned over and tried to retrieve his gun like a drunk trying to locate a contact lens. He never quite made it as Captain Morris landed one more round in his sternum. Bronson gasped for air one last time and fell to the ground, landing on his left side, his hand within inches of his gun.
Bannon and Nick had moved up alongside Katie who lies unconscious on the floor, a nasty gash on the right side of her head. Bannon removed the undershirt he had been wearing and wrapped it around her head, tying a knot at one end. He gently placed her head back down as Nick looked for a pillow or something similar.
Meanwhile, Chester had managed to slam Mikael’s head into the seat of the pew with such force, it knocked him unconscious. Stanton had moved up and leaned over the back of the pew and relieved Mikael of his weapon, tossing it to Corporal Sinclair, who had moved in alongside Chester.
Chester looked over his victim and decided he was out cold but not wanting to take any chances he grabbed the gun away from Sinclair and hit Mikael hard in the skull with the butt of his own gun. Satisfied, he turned to Terrence who had also moved in next to him.
“See if you can find something to tie him up with,” he ordered. Terrence went back up to the altar and into the back room.
Stephen looked over to Captain Morris who was seated upright on the ground just inside the door. His breathing had become a little labored. Stephen knelt down beside him, examining the wound, he looked behind him and noticed the exit wound.
“Went clean through,” he stated.
“Still hurts,” Morris said looking up at him. “I’m fine, check on Katie,” he said, not really fine.
Stephen went over to Katie, keeping a close eye on Bronson, just as Nick returned with a small decorative pillow with the words “Mark and Millie Forever” stitched on it and placed it under her head.
He noticed she was breathing and other than the shirt wrapped around her head, looked like she was sleeping.
“I think she’ll be fine,” Bannon said. Stephen nodded.
Chester left Mikael in Stanton’s care as he walked over to Bronson. Leaning over the body, he rolled him over onto his back and located his knife. He reached down and pulled it out of his shoulder. He stood up and started to walk away when he stopped and turned back around.
He looked over the wounds on his body and realized his job wasn’t finished. Firmly gripping the knife, he plunged it deep into Bronson’s skull.
Terrence returned with some old telephone cords and handed them to Corporal Sinclair. Landlines were few and far between these days but businesses still found a use for them. Sinclair had turned Mikael on his back and was tying up his hands and legs as Stanton held him down in case he woke up. Terrence had also found a small hand towel that he stuffed in Mikael’s mouth.
Bannon stood to watch over Katie as Stephen, Nick, and Chester met back up at the altar. Lucy had dusted herself off and was sitting back on the chair.
“You Ok?” Stephen asked her.
“Yea, I’m fine,” she said, clearly shaken.
Stephen turned to Chester.
“Do we wait ‘till they come back or go after them?” he asked.
Chester grunted and thought for a moment.
“We’re not sure where they went. Probably that hospital, but we can’t be certain. We might pass them as they are coming back. I think the Major is smart enough not to do anything to put Zoe in danger,” he said that last part softly as Holly had gone to sit with Kim and the children and was in earshot.
Terrence, Ken, and Sinclair, who had finished tying Mikael up, had now joined them at the altar.
“I think we wait for them to come back. Get the kids and the girls somewhere safe and wait for them to return,” Chester suggested.
“Hey, I’m not going anywhere without Stephen,” Lucy interjected.
Chester was about to argue his point. Lucy put her hand up.
“Do not argue with a Bride on her wedding day,” She said, managing a smile.
Knowing he was beaten, he turned back to Stephen.
“We get one, maybe two guys outside, the rest in here. We have them covered and wait for our opportunity. Assuming they did go to the hospital and have located the doc, they shouldn’t be gone much longer,” Chester said, looking around the room for approval.
“Sounds like a plan,” Bannon finally said.
Chester moved back to Mikial and used the towel in his mouth to wipe off his knife and returned it to its sheath on his ankle. They gathered up all the weapons, did an ammo check, and collectively took a deep breath.
Chapter 28
The Last Bit of Strength
Captain Morris had patched himself up and stopped the bleeding from his shoulder. He had agreed with Chester that waiting for them was definitely the best course of action and put himself in charge of the deployment. He decided that Ken should take Kim and the children back to the MGM Grand. He also wanted Holly and Lucy to go but they refused. Holly wanted to be here when Zoe got back and Lucy was going wherever Stephen was going. Timmons was useless with his leg shot up so after they stabilized it, he also went with Kim.
There was no good place on the roof for anyone to hide as it was angled and sloped and bright white. He would have liked to get someone up there but he couldn’t. He also had no idea how much time they had so everyone had to be placed quickly.
Captain Morris decided to put Sinclair off to the right on the other side of the carport where there was a small menagerie, presumably for picture taking after the blessed event had taken place. It would provide excellent cover and any car approaching could easily be observed.
He decided to use the pink Cadillac as cover. It would be a shame if Elvis’ car sustained any damage, but it left him with the best angle to take out Benton. His toughest decision was to leave the corpses of his two comrades lying in the front of the door. It was necessary to maintain the illusion to Benton that everything was as he left it.
Stephen was inside looking out the same front window that he saw Captain Morris looking through a half an hour earlier. Everyone else stayed out of site in the back of the chapel. Chester had taken charge of their prisoner, ensuring that he wouldn’t give away their surprise.
When everyone was set, Morris moved in behind the pink Cadillac and waited.
Major Bradley entered the lab first but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Dr. Sanderson lying in the supine position atop the metal table. Benton nearly bumped into him but managed to slide to the right just in time and now stood shoulder to shoulder with the Major just inside the doorway.
“Doctor?” Major Bradley managed, taking one additional step forward.
There was no answer.
It was then he noticed Malcolm sitting in his wheelchair just on the other side of the table, his worried face illuminated by a nearby lantern. The gun in his hand shaking.
Thankfully Benton didn’t notice Malcolm or the gun and was completely fixated on Dr. Sanderson. He had also stepped further into
the room, allowing Gunner and Zoe to ease into the lab.
“Dad!” Zoe screamed surprising everyone by breaking free of Gunner’s grip and dashing toward her father. Major Bradley, however, stepped in front of her and grabbed her left arm before she could reach the Doctor. She struggled for a moment but eventually slumped in his arms.
Major Bradley wasn’t about to let her near her father until he had a clearer understanding of what was happening here. Benton, however, had no such misgivings. He approached the table and stood over the lifeless body of Dr. Lemuel Sanderson.
Malcolm had no idea who these two men were. The mountain of a man standing in the doorway and the confident one standing next to the table were both strangers to him. It didn’t take long for him to assess the dynamic of the foursome. Major Bradley was unarmed while the two strangers were both carrying weapons.
Dr. Sanderson had told him many stories of their adventures to help pass the time in the lab. One of them included a large Swede and a wealthy industrialist. This no doubt, must be them. They had not make a favorable impression on the Doctor.
He looked down at the gun wavering in his hands. He barely had enough strength to hold the gun to say nothing of aiming it. He was prepared to shoot the Doctor if it came to that but he was in no position, mentally or physically, to shoot anyone else. He might hit the Major or, God forbid, Zoe.
Benton finally noticed the man sitting in the wheelchair off to his right.
“Well, who do we have …” Benton started before noticing the gun and stopping in mid-sentence. He was about to instruct Benton to relieve the man of his weapon when a small guttural sound emanated from the body lying on the table.
All eyes turned, focused on the origin of the sound. Malcolm, sitting lower than anyone else in the room, was the only one to notice Dr. Sanderson’s right hand move upward. Slowly at first but then it jerked suddenly and grabbed ahold of Benton’s right hand.
Benton was shocked as he felt the cold hand on his wrist. He instinctively tried to pull away, smacking his hand on the underside of the table causing his gun to fall to the floor. What used to be Dr. Sanderson sat up, pulling Benton closer to him all in the same motion. Benton, paralyzed with fear for the first time in his life, was easy prey.
Gunner’s vision was partially blocked by the Major as well as Benton himself. It was too late before he realized what was going on. He darted toward his boss anyway. Major Bradley turned Zoe away from Gunner and then lowered his shoulder hard into Gunner’s sternum. The big man, surprised by the move and already moving forward, was sent stumbling backward, crashing into the wash basin on the other side of the room.
Dr. Sanderson’s corpse leaned into Benton and bit sharply into his neck, finding the jugular vein with little problem. Blood began to spurt into the air and the sounds coming from Benton seemed … inhuman.
Malcolm, turning his head from the carnage taking place on the table, saw the Swede stumble into the sink. He was able to recover quickly and was about to launch himself at the Major. Malcolm saw this as his only opportunity. The big man was far enough away from Zoe and the Major that even an errant shot would do no real harm to them. He gripped the gun as tightly as he could and raised it as high as he could and pulled the trigger.
The sound of the discharge echoed in the room. The recoil caused Malcolm to drop the gun and actually moved his wheelchair backward a few inches. It took a few seconds for him to recover and see if his shot had hit the mark. He shifted in the chair and reached into his lap searching for the gun, trying to shake the cobwebs out of his head. When he finally was focused enough, he was surprised at what he saw.
The Major had done his best to shield Zoe from witnessing what was happening to Benton. The last thing he wanted was this to be the last image she had of her father. But he was also concerned about Gunner until he heard the shot. He turned to see his blonde hair mix with crimson as the back of his head exploded, brain matter littering the wall behind him.
He stumbled back and somehow managed to fall into a chair sitting in the corner of the lab, just to the right of the door. His face frozen in a contorted stare, the entrance wound above the left eye. His head slowly tilted back as he slouched into the chair until he was staring blankly at the ceiling.
Major Bradley ushered Zoe out into the hall, her sobs heavy in his chest. He looked in both directions down the hallway to ensure no other infected had perhaps been alerted to their presence. The hallway was clear. There was a small bench a few feet away along the near wall. He sat her down.
“Don’t move,” he instructed. Waiting for a response to make sure she understood. It was hard to tell because her body moved up and down with the sobs.
“Understand?” he asked.
She was finally able to compose herself enough to give a discernable nod. He rubbed her shoulders and nodded in return.
Satisfied, the Major went back into the lab in time to see the slumped Benton fall to the floor. The former Dr. Sanderson was now sitting fully upright, his legs dangling over the table. Blood covering his face, his eyes wide and menacing.
Major Bradly looked down, searching for Gunner’s weapon but couldn’t see it. He looked under the table where Benton was now lying in front of and saw his gun but there was no way the Major could get past the Doctor to retrieve it.
Speaking of which, the Doctor had noticed Major Bradley’s arrival and had one foot on the ground turning toward him. Malcolm had used all of his strength and could not even lift the gun off his lap to say nothing of firing it again. He thought about rolling his wheelchair forward and crashing into Dr. Sanderson but he wasn’t even sure he had the strength for that.
Meanwhile, Major Bradly looked for another weapon but nothing presented itself. The Doctor had both feet on the floor now and moved forward toward him.
Major Bradley moved back and almost tripped over Gunner’s legs. He had just enough space to run out of the lab and perhaps find something out in the hallway he could use but then he thought of Zoe, sitting out there, sobbing. Her father following him out into the hallway. He couldn’t do it. No way.
He was out of time and options as Dr. Sanderson had him pinned in the corner. He would have to fight his way out. Just as he was about to move, he caught a glint of something in the sink basin just to his right. It was Gunner’s gun. He must have dropped it when he crashed into the counter.
He dove onto the counter and reached as far as he could, grabbing the gun and then dropping it, the weapon clattering against the stainless-steel sink. He reached a second time, Dr. Sanderson nearly on top of him, he could hear his labored breathing. This time he pulled it out of the sink just as the Doctor grabbed ahold of his pant leg, turning onto his back he raised the gun, clicked off the safety and fired. His shot grazed the Doctor’s left ear. It stopped him for a second, just enough time for Major Bradley to take better aim and fire a second shot, this one landed right between the eyes of the former Dr. Sanderson.
The Doctor fell onto the floor, not far from the late Benton Worthington III. Major Bradley sat up, grabbed a few paper towels from a dispenser next to the sink, and wiped the blood splatter from his face and hands.
He hopped down off the counter and glanced over at Malcolm who looked exhausted. He noticed, for the first time, the pill bottles in his lap. Malcolm looked down and then back up at him, mustering a tired smile. He started to speak but nothing came out.
Major Bradley walked over to Benton’s body and looked down. Other than the gaping hole in his neck and the pool of blood he was lying in, he didn’t look so bad. He tried to convince himself that this was not necessarily a fitting end to Benton. No one deserved this, even Benton.
Unfortunately, there was still one thing left to do. The Major trained the gun on Benton, moving the barrel up until he had his head in his sights. Benton twitched just as Major Bradley put one well-placed bullet into his skull.
Chapter 29
A Future?
Major Bradley wheeled Malcolm outside the lab an
d checked to make sure Zoe was safe and where he had left her; she was.
Her face was in her hands, the sobbing had stopped and been replaced with a strange sort of calm. When she heard the sound of the wheelchair, she turned, lifting her head out of her hands. Major Bradley had seen enough action in the field to recognize the onset of shock. Her mind was processing a thousand bits of information and was in the process of shutting down.
He needed to give her some time but unfortunately, time wasn’t something he had much of. Benton’s men were expecting them back soon and if he failed to show on time, there was no telling what they might do. He considered stopping at the casino and grabbing some reinforcements, perhaps Captain Morris, but a large group could be easily spotted. The problems were, well, numerous.
First, he had to get a young woman on the verge of a breakdown and an old man in a wheelchair into the car. Then, he had to approach the chapel and get in without Benton, disarm their captors, and free the hostages.
No problem.
He turned back around suddenly as a thought had occurred to him and headed back into the lab.
He looked to his right and saw Gunner still sitting awkwardly on the chair, hands draped casually by his side, his head tilted slightly to the left. Major Bradley approached cautiously as he looked around the room, noting the blood splatter on the walls had already started to dry. He hunched lower and started patting Gunner down and after a few seconds found what he was looking for.
He carefully pulled Gunner’s left front pants pocket open with his left hand and reached in with his right and extracted a set of keys. Standing back up, he backed away from Gunner and went back out into the hall.
His two companions both looked up at him.
“Let’s go,” he said.
Twenty minutes later, Major Bradley had made the decision to park Benton’s Land Rover north of the chapel, not far from where Captain Morris had parked his car. He left Zoe and Malcolm in the car. He thought about bringing them back to the casino first and simply dropping them off, but time was not on his side. He had to assume that Benton would have left instructions with his men in the event he did not return within a specified period of time. Those instructions probably included physical harm to the hostages. He couldn’t take that chance.
The Zombie Principle II Page 24