“Not good,” Snake said. He turned to the two bikers who had followed him up to the roof. “We need to try to lure the dead toward the back of the building. Make some noise and see if you can get them moving away from where those guys are trapped.”
The two bikers hurried off while Snake waved to get the attention of the men below. One of them finally looked up, waving frantically when he saw Snake. Snake held up his radio and the other biker shrugged sheepishly, apparently having forgotten to take a radio along. Sighing, Snake pushed both of his hands down in a signal to tell them that they should get down. After a moment, the man nodded and said something to the other biker who was standing on a car. They both jumped down to where the other three were, temporarily out of sight.
Snake radioed down to Wolf to tell him what he was doing. “Maybe you could get some people yelling out the back windows, too,” he suggested. “And have someone ready to open the gate.”
“Will do, Boss,” Wolf said. “Where exactly are they?”
Snake gave their location to Wolf, who said he’d be watching for them. Within moments, voices could be heard from the back of the hospital as several people started yelling. A few of the dead turned then slowly began to move away from the trapped men.
Snake hadn’t seen any weapons other than the pike and crow bar, so he wasn’t sure if they had guns. When one of the men looked up again, Snake pointed at him then held up his rifle. The biker nodded and held up a shotgun.
“Okay, they’ve got at least one gun,” Snake said into the radio. “Let’s hope that’s not all they have.”
“Remember, we’ve only got a couple down here, Boss,” Wolf reminded him. “Just the ones we were going to hide inside.”
“It’ll have to do,” Snake said, knowing there was nothing he could do about it.
Soon most of the mob began to move toward the back of the building, having already forgotten about the trapped men. Snake picked up his radio again.
“Wolf, the guys in the Crow’s Nest can’t see anything along the outside of the wall. We’ll need some shooters up close to hold off the dead while Mouse and the boys make a run for the gate. I don’t want anybody in danger of falling, though.”
“Gotcha, Boss,” Wolf said. He turned and relayed the message to Jack, who thought about it for a moment.
“I’ve got some cabinets inside that we could bring out. They’d be just about the right height to stand on but we’ll need a few people to carry them,” Jack said.
Wolf called four men over and sent them with Jack, who led them inside to a conference room.
There were a couple of tall cabinets that were about two feet lower than the wall and the men quickly took them outside. It took a few minutes, but they were able to get one in place near the gate. The other cabinet was moved to the adjoining wall, and it provided a view of the men’s hiding spot. A couple of the men helped Gunner and Wolf to climb up then stayed to hold the cabinets steady. The rest of the bikers and Lindsey waited with their weapons in case they needed to go outside the walls.
When Snake thought the time was right, he spoke to Wolf on the radio. “Be ready. I’m giving them the signal.”
“Get that gate ready!” he heard Wolf yell.
When Snake saw them unhook the latch, he motioned for the men to go. The first one stood and slid over a car. He grabbed the shotgun that was shoved into his hands, and he began to run as the second man climbed over the car.
“Come on,” Snake said, urging them on, though they could not hear him. He was relieved to see the first one hit the gate and make it through easily. By the time the second one was almost there, attention was turning back their way. Snake considered having the others hold off and wait for another window of opportunity, but the men weren’t looking up. The other three followed in a group, stopping to take some shots with their guns along the way.
“No, no, no,” Snake said, silently urging them to look up. “No time for that, Boys. Run for the gate.”
More and more of the infected began to turn their way, and from his place on the roof, Snake could see a mass of movement coming around the corner of the building. The men were going to be pinned if they didn’t move quickly.
Still shooting, they edged toward the gate but the dead were coming from that direction, too, cutting them off.
Jack turned and spoke quickly to two of the bikers who ran back into the building.
The people who were manning the gate finally had to pull it closed again to keep the horde from coming through.
Moose and Jack climbed up and joined Wolf and Gunner on the cabinets, since they were the only other ones with guns.
The men were only twenty feet or so from the gate, but there was no way they were getting through it. Snake could see the men looking one way, then the other, knowing that they were going to be overwhelmed very shortly.
They turned and started to run the other way.
“Wait!” Wolf yelled to them.
The two bikers who had gone inside had just come back out with a ladder and they quickly put it over the wall, close to where the men were. The first man was up in a flash, but that left Mouse and one other biker on the ground with the horde quickly closing in.
“Go!” Mouse yelled to the other man, who spun around and grabbed the ladder, moving up it so quickly that he almost knocked it over. In a barrage of gunfire, Mouse finally got onto the ladder. It looked like he was home free until the ladder began to tilt backward. Wolf reached out to grab it and time seemed to stand still for a long moment as the ladder stood almost upright, just out of his grasp. The old biker leaned a little farther, putting himself at risk of a fall, but his fingers finally caught the top of the ladder and he was able to pull it toward himself. Others reached out to help, doing their best to keep it upright as Mouse tried desperately to get his ankle free from the clutches of one of the ghouls. A shot rang out and the zombie fell, allowing the man to finally get over the wall.
“Thank you, God,” Snake whispered, closing his eyes for a moment in silent prayer.
~*~
“Anybody bit?” Wolf asked.
They all said no, but Wolf asked to see Mouse’s ankle, just to be certain that he hadn’t been infected. There were no apparent bites or scratches, much to his relief.
“So what happened?” he asked. “This should have been a simple job, moving the truck out there.”
“Yeah, it should’ve,” said one of the bikers who had been trapped with the group. He glared at Mouse, who looked away.
“Mouse?” Wolf asked, frowning.
“Well, I saw something in this car that I just couldn’t leave there. I figured it would only take a minute to get it out, but the car was locked. The window was rolled down a little but not quite enough for me to get my arm through and unlock it.”
“So he broke the window,” the other man said, “very loudly.”
Mouse said, “Wolf, if you would have been in my place, man, you would have done the same thing.”
Wolf just shook his head. It wouldn’t do any good to lecture the other biker, because Snake had done it many times. Mouse would never change. Wolf was definitely going to talk to Snake about keeping him off the supply runs in the future, though.
“So what was this thing that you had to have, huh, Mouse? What was so important that five guys almost died for it?”
Mouse slowly reached inside his vest and pulled out a small, gray kitten. He held it cupped in his hands.
“It must’ve been coming in and out through that crack in the window, ’cuz it didn’t have no food or water. I couldn’t leave the poor little guy out there.”
Wolf opened his mouth to reply, but then he reached out a rough hand and ran it over the tiny kitten.
“He’s sure a cute little thing,” he said. “Well, I guess if Snake and Jack don’t mind you can probably keep him. I’m sure he won’t eat a whole lot.”
“I’d better go see if Theresa has anything for him,” Mouse said, hurrying off.
&
nbsp; The sound of a helicopter filled the air and Lindsey let out a long breath as she glanced up at the sky. It was going to be difficult to say goodbye to some of her friends, many of whom had become almost like family to her. After much thought, she had finally made up her mind.
Wombat saw her looking up toward the sky, where the first of the helicopters was now visible.
“I’d better get up there,” she said to him.
“I guess you made your decision,” he said.
“Yes, I did,” she said, “and it wasn’t an easy one.”
Wolf called over to ask Wombat a question and he turned to answer. When he turned back, Lindsey was gone.
~*~
Chuck hadn’t heard anything from the eighth floor in some time, and he finally decided to take the risk of calling down to them. He held his breath as he waited for a reply, but there was none. A slow smile broke over his face as he realized that he was the only living person in the building. To celebrate, he pulled out his best bottle of champagne and opened it, paying no heed to the early hour. Digging through his CD collection, he contemplated for a few moments before settling on Wagner’s “Flight of the Valkyries.” Turning up the music as loud as he could stand it, he went to the window with the bottle and a glass. He poured himself some champagne and watched the city burn.
The music boomed from the wall speakers behind him and seemed to shake the building as Chuck sipped the bubbly liquid. When another group of jets began to fly overhead, he realized that the building actually was shaking. He didn’t even know that it had been hit until it began to collapse around him. The champagne bottle and glass both slipped from his fingers at the same time, shattering upon the floor. Chuck stumbled as he tried to keep his footing then the floor shifted beneath him and he began to fall.
He should have died. It was just a fluke that the building fell the way it did, the floors collapsing slowly on one another to slow the fall. Sheer luck kept him from being crushed by the roof and the collapsing outer walls. When the rubble settled, Chuck found himself trapped but still alive. A thick wall of dust filled the air making his eyes useless, but the moans around him assured him that he was not alone.
~*^*~
~42~
Most of the bikers stayed in the parking lot to help burn the bodies. When the door opened, Wolf turned to see Eric approaching him, sword in hand.
“I hear you’ve got a swarm in the parking lot. I’m ready to kick some zombie butt.”
Wolf looked at Eric and shook his head. “Amazing how you always seem to show up after the action. Since you’re here, you can help the guys clean up.”
He figured it was safe to let Eric work with the others since there were no open windows on the first floor to tempt the bikers. They walked inside and Wolf pointed to a pile of pikes and other weapons lying on the floor. One by one, the bikers grabbed a weapon, carefully wiped any residue from it, and dipped it into a tub of bleach and water.
“I’d better check on Cheri,” Eric said, turning to leave. Wolf’s firm grip guided him back.
“Cheri’s recovering just fine,” Wolf said, “and you don’t want to go messing that up by bothering her, do you?”
He walked back outside without waiting for a reply.
Gunner smiled and handed Eric a pair of rubber gloves and a towel.
~*~
Helga had been glad to see Snake return, but she had not been pleased to see the woman with him again. She wondered how serious they were since they seemed to be spending a lot of time together. As she helped the others to clean the weapons, she glanced over at the group who was waiting to leave with the helicopters. With so many going, she was sure there would be plenty of rooms available, and she wanted one of them. It had been difficult to sleep when she was on her own. Even when she had been able to find places that had seemed fairly secure, she had always awakened at the slightest noise. With a room of her own, she could barricade the door at night for extra protection.
Once she was done cleaning weapons, Helga left the ER to look for Snake, hoping he could tell her how to get a room. She was told that he was upstairs checking on Smiley.
“Maybe Wolf can help you,” Gunner said. “He’s outside.”
Helga found Wolf and Wombat standing together and she approached them. Wombat didn’t look much like a biker, in her opinion, and she thought he had a silly name. Not only was he younger than most of the others but he didn’t have the facial hair and rough looks that she associated with a real biker.
“You need scars or tattoos,” she told him, stopping in front of him, “and a beard.”
“I . . . what?” he asked, confused.
“Nothing,” she said, turning to face Wolf. “I want a room. Can I just take one or do I have to ask someone nicely?”
“Talk to Lindsey,” Wolf said. “She’s handling the rooms.”
“I think Lindsey’s leaving,” Wombat said, surprising Wolf who had been sure she’d stay. “She’s up on the roof meeting the choppers now.”
“Good,” Helga said, surprised that the other woman would leave a fine man like Snake behind.
“Why is that good?” Wombat asked. “I’ve kind of liked having her around.”
“Snake will be better off without that woman.”
Wolf and Wombat looked at each other then back at Helga.
“What do you mean?” Wombat asked.
“You don’t think they’re together, do you?” Wolf added.
Helga frowned. “Snake told me she is his girlfriend.”
Both Wolf and Wombat burst out laughing.
“He musta been joking,” Wolf said. “Lindsey’s got something going with the helicopter pilot. That’s probably why she’s leaving.”
A slow, almost wicked smile broke across Helga’s face at the news. “Good, then Snake will be mine again.”
Wolf and Wombat exchanged a look, realizing why Snake had lied to Helga.
“Uh, well, maybe we’re wrong about that,” Wolf said quickly.
“Right, um, who knows? There might be something we don’t know about,” Wombat added, shrugging. He glanced over at Mouse, who had helped Lindsey with the room assignments on occasion.
“Talk to Mouse,” he said, nodding toward the small biker. “He might be able to find you a room.”
While Mouse was dragging a zombie to the burn pile, he noticed that the others were looking past him and quickly heading off. He had hoped it was just another zombie approaching, but as he turned, his eyes widened and his throat went dry. It was Helga. She stood towering over his five foot five frame.
“Where can I sleep?” she asked him.
He gulped while backing up and pointing toward the building. “Anywhere you want,” he said.
As he backed up, she followed, step by step.
“Some of us have gurneys set up on the fifth floor and are kind of camping out b-b-but if you . . . you know, need your privacy, being, well . . . kind of a girl and all, Lindsey can maybe find you a room upstairs.” Mouse wanted to run, but he worried that her animal instincts might take over, causing her to chase him and bring him down like a wounded gazelle. Instead, he stood there like a condemned man before the executioner.
Helga’s fists tightened when Mouse mentioned Lindsey.
“Lindsey again!” she said. “I don’t want to hear about her anymore. And I don’t want a gurney. They crumple like tinfoil. Give me a real room.”
“Sure,” Mouse said. “J-just go upstairs and find an empty room and put your name on the door.”
She walked toward the building but glanced back at Mouse once to see if he would flinch.
~*~
Lindsey stood on the roof as the Coast Guard helicopter landed. It was longer than the one that Lee normally brought, and the pilot did some impressive maneuvering to fit it on the roof around the air conditioners. Jack joined her and they watched together as the helicopter finally settled into place. Moments later, an officer stepped out and approached them.
“You must be J
ack,” he said with a smile as he reached out his hand.
“Yes, sir,” Jack replied, shaking the man’s hand. “And this is Lindsey.”
“Nice to meet you,” Lindsey said.
“I’m Major Wilson, but you can both call me Bob. I’ve heard a lot about you,” the officer said. “My crew has been instructed to start shuttling your people over. We’ve got two of the Blackhawks, so you might as well get everybody up here at once. We want to get moving right away since it’s going to take several trips.”
Lindsey glanced up to where the second helicopter was hovering, waiting for its turn to land. “I’ll go let them know,” she said, turning to leave.
“Jayhawk, not Blackhawk,” Eric said, walking over to join the others. He stuffed a pair of rubber gloves into his pocket.
“Same thing,” Wilson said. “The Jayhawk’s just a modified Blackhawk.” He turned to Jack. “I’m sure you have some questions, so is there someplace we can go that’s a little more private while my crew gets everyone aboard?”
“Information is gold these days,” Jack answered. “Let me give Snake a call so he can join us.”
As Jack got on the radio with Snake, he heard Eric say to Wilson, “Most people think that’s true about the Blackhawk, but the truth is . . .”
“Eric,” Jack sighed, putting away his radio when he was done with the call. “Go stand guard outside the lab for a while. Now.”
Once Eric walked off, sulking, Jack said, “Follow me. Snake will be joining us as soon as he’s done checking on a friend. Poor guy survived the zombies and bombs, just to have a heart attack.”
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