by Park, Grant
Her father was suddenly jerked to a standstill by Greg who he was tied to; Greg had been pulling him along but now he was doubled over on the ground.
“What’s going on?” Michaels shouted, “Get up and move you useless bastard! Move now or I will shoot you, you little shit!”
“I can’t, I ca-a-a-a-a!!” Greg screamed in pain, and then wretched blood all over the road.
“He’s bit, he’s been bitten!” one of the soldiers shouted.
“It was just a scra-a-a-a-agh-h-h-h!” Greg screamed again
Michaels pulled out a pistol as Greg began to shake violently on the ground but Cassie’s father grabbed Michaels, holding the pistol in the air and presenting Michaels’ body to Greg who was now lifting himself from the ground with cold white eyes and a look of rage about his face. Greg lunged for him and Michaels screamed in fear, but it was her father that screamed in pain. One of the soldiers put a gun to Greg’s head and pulled the trigger, his body dropped and Michaels struggled free leaving her father left gripping his stump of an arm, his tattered sleeve was turning crimson as he spoke to her.
“I’m sorry, Cassandra. I’m sorry.” A flash of lucidity spread across his face as he looked to her, the father she knew and loved had returned only to be lost forever.
“Leave him!” Michaels shouted, “Let him rot!”
“No!” Cassie screamed and with sudden realisation pulled the pistol from her beltline and pointed it at her father.
“I love you, Cupcake,” her father said with a smile.
“I love you too, Daddy,” she replied; then pulled the trigger.
Chapter
28
Better than Death
Frank watched as his army attacked his nemesis; what a worthy adversary he was, he spun in a whirlwind of blood, cascading severed body parts all around him: it was a wonderful thing to watch, this dance with the dead, it almost made Frank sorrowful that this would be the last time he would witness it.
Caleb started to flounder, the smoothness and fluidity of his movements waned as his energy was sapped from his body. Frank licked his lips, the moment was almost upon him, and victory would finally be his.
He fell. The Infected closed in around him but Frank called them back, he ‘scrawed’ as loudly as he could and the tide of Infected receded to reveal Caleb dropped to one knee, a hand on the ground and a blade in the other. The Infected opened up in a circle around them.
“Here we are at last my old friend,” Frank said triumphantly, “I feel like I’ve waited a lifetime for this moment.”
“What the fuck are you bangin’ on about,” Caleb said wearily, “didn’t we go through all of this just the other night?”
“Things have changed, Caleb, I have my army now, we have no need for you.”
“Yeah...! What’s with that: why don’t they eat you?”
“They have accepted me as their leader, they know that I have a higher destiny, they accept that I, as an Angel, will carry them to heaven.”
“Ha!” the insolent bastard laughed, “You still think you’re an angel? Have you looked in the mirror recently, Frank? You’re the ugliest angel I’ve ever seen in my life. Maybe if you got a pigeon, and barbecued it, and then stuck a Christmas tree up its arse, then, maybe then, you could resemble an angel. But until you do that, you just look like the crispy duck from the local Chinese!”
“You are dealing with forces you cannot even begin to comprehend!” Frank shouted.
“Hang on!” Caleb interrupted. How dare he? “Is that why they don’t eat you, because you look like them and smell like burnt meat? I can smell you from here, Frank; and to be brutally honest, it’s making me hungry.”
“Silence...!” Frank screamed, but Caleb wouldn’t listen.
“That’s why they won’t touch you; and that’s why they didn’t kill Cassie’s dad, they burnt his arm, cauterised the wound....”
“Quiet!”
“....this isn’t divinity....”
“Quiet!”
“....this isn’t angels....”
“Quiet....”
“....this is nothing but....”
“Quiet...”
“....burnt meat...!”
“Q-u-i-e-t!” Frank screamed in a noise that sounded all too similar to that of which the Infected make, but Caleb’s words rang in his ears. It couldn’t be true.
“You’re sick, Frank....”
It couldn’t be true.
“....you need help.”
It can’t be true.
“What happens when you heal, Frank?”
‘It isn’t true!’ the angels whispered.
“What happens when they turn on you?
“It won’t work, Caleb!” Frank shouted, realising the Angels were still with him. He pulled the pistol from its holster and pointed it at the heretic. “You can’t talk your way out of this. Now is the time of your judgement. I hold the key. I open the door. I decide who goes in and who doesn’t. Your time has come to an end, heretic!”
Caleb looked at Frank venomously, he looked like he had given up hope on the fruitless words spilling from his lips and was left with nothing but violence to bend the will of man to his word, finally he had realised that there was no hope for him. Frank smiled, savouring the moment. Caleb said something Frank hadn’t been expecting though, something that made him hesitate in pulling the trigger.
“What happens when you bleed?”
In that moment of hesitation Caleb ran at him, blade held high
_________________________
The collision knocked the wind clean out of Ethan and his head bounced off of the brick wall behind him, it was like being hit by a locomotive with fists. The punches just didn’t seem to stop: Ethan covered up as best as he could but even when he blocked the hits with his arms they still hurt like hell. In a moment of clarity Ethan ducked under a punch making Harry swing wide, opening him up, and Ethan landed an uppercut to his jaw. Harry staggered back dazed. Who’d have thought it? Harry Knox has a glass jaw.
Ethan pushed himself off of the wall and came out swinging, cracking Harry a left hook to the temple, then another uppercut to the jaw and a jab to the nose. Harry’s nose burst wide open, streaming blood all down his face. Harry roared and pounced on him crumpling him to the floor beneath him.
Ethan struggled to breathe with the sheer weight of him on his chest, with his left arm now pinned under Knox’s leg Ethan had to fend off more blows now with only one arm. he pounded on his face like an ape with a coconut, each punch landing with a dull thud that sent white spots into his vision; blood dripped wildly from Harry’s whistling nose onto Ethan’s face, and Ethan could feel his eyes and mouth swelling up with the beating, he could taste the metallic blood on his tongue.
“Is this what you want? You miserable son of a bitch,” Harry screamed. Ethan tried to answer but managed only to spit blood onto his own face. Harry stopped punching at him and grabbed him round the neck with one hand, pinning his free hand with the other. “Is this what you want?” he said through gritted teeth as he squeezed his neck.
As Ethan caught movement out of the corner of his eye his throat gargled up a hoarse cackling laugh. Confused, Harry lessened his grip.
“What the fuck have you got to laugh about?” Harry screamed. “Don’t you know when you’ve lost?”
“Gagh-agh-agh...!” Ethan laughed, spitting out a tooth, “I didn’t have to beat you, Harry,” he choked out through a bloody smile, “I just had to stall you till help arrived!”
Harry looked up startled and leapt from on top of him, he started spinning round, looking for a way out between the hoard of undead that had slowly crept up around them as they fought: through his rage, Harry hadn’t heard the moaning as they slowly staggered towards them; he had always been single focussed had Harry, that’s what made him a good soldier, but a bad leader, and it was going to be his undoing.
“You stupid bastard,” Harry shouted as he began to fend them off, “you’ve killed us bo
th!”
Ethan continued his hoarse laughter as he stared at the sky, he hoped that it would be the last thing Harry heard, as punishment for what he had done to Jim; but he cut himself off short as he saw a bird flying high above him, and he began to wonder about what Caleb had said about the animals being turned by the infection: if the animals turned too did it truly spell the end for everyone? And if this was the end: had it been worth it? Shouldn’t they have tried to survive as long as they could in a world that was doomed? Ethan put the thoughts out of his mind as she sky was blotted out by creeping flesh stumbling over him; the rancid reek filled his nostrils as more of them poured over him, tripping over him covering him in their stench, desperate to feed.
With deep disappointment in him, Ethan took pleasure in hearing Harry scream in torment as they tore into his flesh. All he could do now is wait for the same to happen to him.
He didn’t think he would scream as much as he did.
_________________________
The blow shook Cassie to the core. She felt the pistol being prised from her grip as she lay on the ground. A rough hand grasped at her collar and hauled her to her feet.
“You will learn to do as you are told!” Michaels shouted and pulled her to the side, tripping her over her own feet. She only caught a slight glimpse of her father’s corpse, lay on the ground next to Greg’s as they disappeared round the corner.
“Barnes,” Michaels called, “You take the girl! You...?”
“Carter, Sir!”
“Carter, you take point, and you cover our back Colton!”
“Coleman, Sir!” he said, but Michaels just ignored him.
“Now let’s move, Get us to the perimeter and then get us out of here!”
Carter ran out in front and Cassie limply allowed herself to be pushed along by Barnes. Her body felt heavy beneath her and her mind was clouded with guilt. She had just stolen the final moments of her father’s life for no reason other than her unwillingness to see him become one of the vile undead. She had stolen his right to live on in another form. She couldn’t know what it was like to become one of them, to live as one of them. Was it better than death? Was it any worse?
Suddenly Carter ran back from round the corner, “Not that way! Not that way! Back! Back...!” But at the same time Coleman came running from behind them shouting that they were behind them too. Cassie could hear the grotesque sounds of the Infected as she turned on her heel and ran.
They found themselves running towards a great spherical building that loomed up before them, it stretched at least eight stories into the sky, the huge globe was made of a patch work of silver and gold panels and looked like it had undergone several repair jobs throughout its past, it must have looked an incredible sight when it was first built, but now with rust streaks running from the walkway that ran around its circumference it was a sad relic of the nuclear hay day that had created it.
Coleman fell, he tripped and fell flat on his face, screaming for the others to wait and help him: to Cassie’s disgrace she didn’t give helping him a second thought and ran on, it would have been pointless to do so anyway as Coleman’s screams could be heard only moments after he fell; maybe his demise might buy them the valuable seconds which they so desperately needed to escape, maybe he was just the next one to die?
Ever they ran, and ever the great dilapidated golden sphere loomed up above them, it seemed, now, the only place for them to go: and so when they collided with the gate only to find it locked, their chances seemed to slim to nothing. Barnes let go of Cassie and shot a multitude of bullets at the gate latch, breaking the lock and giving them an escape, or maybe a cage?
All at once they squeezed through the gate whilst Carter fired upon the Infected and ran backwards through the gate. Barnes slammed it shut behind him and tried to hold it shut with his boot while firing through the fence at the slavering masses. They collided with the gate forcing it open enough for several limbs to protrude through the gap and reach for the soldiers holding it closed.
“Hold the gate!” Michaels ordered as he made a grab for Cassie which she shook off violently. “Hold it till we reach the fence!”
“Fuck that!” Barnes shouted.
“Why the hell should we stay here while you escape?” Carter demanded.
“....Because it is your duty to do so, stand, and die for your country!” Michaels shouted.
“Fuck that!” Barnes shouted again.
“Look, Major, Sir, all I know is that I don’t have to outrun these things,” Carter shouted, “I just have to outrun you!” and with that he let go of the gate.
Carter and Barnes ran for it, forcing Cassie and Michaels to run too. Cassie’s legs felt like jelly as they slapped against the hard concrete path up and round, under the globe above them. Barnes and Carter started to stretch out in front of Cassie and Michaels wasn’t far behind her, he was surprisingly spritely for a more robust man. As she approached a gate to the right hand side of her she felt a hard tug to the side and clattered through the gate shortly followed by Michaels.
“What the hell...?” Cassie started to call.
“Sh-h-h-h!” Michaels said as the old wooden gate swung slowly closed behind them, it wasn’t much protection, but it hid them from view. He got up and fumbled around to try to find a latch to keep the gate closed but eventually gave up. “Come on....” Michaels whispered to her, and pushed her down the long path that led away from the gate and toward the globe.
Cassie walked sideways, keeping an eye on the gate. She watched it as it slowly swung open to reveal the Infected streaming past; abruptly they all passed leaving nothing to view but the fence beyond. Cassie allowed herself to breathe for a second in relief, until a single Infected came creeping back around the corner. It let out a bloodcurdling screech and ran at them, drawing others with it.
Cassie ran for the door ahead of them only to find it locked, she wailed as she rattled on the handle trying vainly to get in.
“With me....” Michaels called as he ran for the metal steps leading up to the platform around the globe, Cassie followed. Their feet rang out ‘off beat’ on the metal steps as they climbed up the stairs, Cassie tried to push Michaels up as she pressed on but he was still slowing down, she tried to think of a way past him but the stairs were only wide enough for one person at a time; she could hear the infected gaining on her.
“Come on....” she shouted, urging him to move faster but the old man’s energy was spent. She pushed him again, forcing him to move faster, “Come on...!” she screamed again.
To her side Cassie saw the two soldiers make it to the perimeter fence and throw themselves upon it, hauling themselves to the top, almost to the top for one of them, Cassie couldn’t tell which one of them was torn from the fence, still clinging to the wires as they started to devour him, but he bought enough time for the faster soldier to reach the the other side and disappear into the lush growth of trees there. Cassie hoped that he would make it, she hoped at least someone would survive this mess: the gunfire and heart wrenching scream she heard moments later, dashed her hopes.
Finally they made it to the mid level of the globe and started running along the railing that encircled it, Michaels sped up a little now that he was on the flat but not enough for Cassie, she found it infuriating that his girth would be the thing that could save him when it should be the very thing that got him killed.
The Infected were close behind, and getting closer, Michaels snatched a look behind them and the terror on his face showed Cassie that she didn’t want to do the same. Cassie saw him reach inside his coat and pull out a pistol, her pistol; he turned around and pointed it at their pursuers. Cassie saw her opportunity and skipped lithely round his inside and ahead of him, she heard the shots being fired and turned to see two of the infected drop, blocking the path for the rest of them and holding them up, but it wouldn’t hold them up for long. Michaels turned and started running again, Cassie did the same, she ran hard, hard as she could; she started to create a
gap between Michaels and herself, and started to stretch her lead. She heard another shot from behind her and saw a bullet ricochet off of the metal dome to her left. Cassie spun round, still running.
“What the hell are you doing?” she shouted.
“You have already cost me so much,” he wheezed through his moustache, “I’m not going to lose you now! You will slow down!”
“I will do nothing of the sort!” she shouted and ran on, still looking back. Michaels raised the gun, and to her dismay Cassie slowed down; she knew that Michaels wouldn’t hesitate in wounding her to leave her as bait to save his own skin for just a few moments more, so she slowed down.
“Good girl!” he rumbled through a diseased sounding cough.
Cassie ran on, no, she jogged, she jogged so that the fat bastard could keep up; she tried to justify it as saving her energy should he get caught but it was only wasting her lead. She jogged all the way around the globe as the sun caught its metal surface and blinded her momentarily; she moved on to see the decimation that they had brought to the power plant, gaping holes in the earth where sections of the plant used to stand. Hoards of the undead ran and shambled through the streets searching out those who still lived, if there was anyone else alive, bar her and her most foul of company that was.