PANDEMIC
Part 2
By Nick S. Thomas
Copyright © 2020 by Nick S. Thomas
Published by Swordworks Books
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
Chapter 1
“Yeah, getting it done!” Adam screamed excitedly as they watched soldiers gun down Crazies in the street a few blocks away. They were covered from head-to-toe with military NBC biohazard suits. Not all were as excited to see the devastation as he was. For many of them it was like living through a nightmare, but after their recent brush with death, it at least provided some relief.
“We might just get through this hell,” said Kurt hopefully.
“They’ve come to help us, right?”
“Lisa, they’ve got bigger things to worry about. Plenty on their plate right now,” replied Bobby.
“But they’ve come to help surely?” Roger asked.
“Help? Yes, but probably not in the way you think.”
“But they’re the Army. They’ve come to get us out of here, right?”
“Look at them, Roger. This isn’t a rescue operation. It’s a battle.” Bobby pointed down at the scene. Twenty troops were advancing up the street in loose order, firing at will with devastating effect.
“Those aren’t rubber bullets,” Lisa said sadly.
“No, they ain’t,” replied Bobby.
“Why do you care? Those things would just as soon as rip your face off,” said another.
“They are people, too,” she replied quietly.
“Not anymore,” he replied angrily.
“What’s your name?” Bobby asked him.
“Wallace.”
His accent was quite neutral, and Bobby couldn’t get a reading from it, but he was clearly well educated and spoken.
“Well, Wallace, how about we stop making assumptions, and start working on what we know?”
“I’m not assuming anything. Those things are trying to kill us all!”
“But we don’t know why, or for how long.”
“How long?”
“What if this is some rabies kind of thing?” Adam asked.
“Yeah, there could be a cure, or it could change over time,” added Kurt.
“Are you fucking crazy?”
“Enough, Wallace!” Bobby snapped, “All we know right now is we’re up shit creek without a paddle. We don’t have info, we don’t have weapons, and we don’t have a plan to get through all this. Without those things, we’re all fucked.”
“All right, so what’s your great idea then?”
Bobby stepped up to him briskly and grabbed him by his shirt, holding him tight so he could not back away. Bobby look furious, as if he was ready to explode, and he still carried the bloody fire axe in the other hand. Wallace offered no opposition, but Bobby was eager to drive his message home.
“Look, and this goes for all of you. We’ve got enough problems here as it is, without anyone creating new ones. Smart-ass comments ain’t worth shit. This isn’t you playing Call of Duty in your mom’s basement, shouting abuse like you’re some kind of tough guy. This is the real world. This is… I don’t even know what to call it, but it’s real. This is combat for real, and it doesn’t care whether you’re ready for it or not. It’ll chew you up and spit you out like you’re nothing. So if you want to stand any hope of getting through this, stop trying to prove something, and start working to achieve something, you hear?”
He got no response.
“Don’t be a child about this. You fucked up, own it,” added Bobby angrily.
“All right, I’m sorry.”
It sounded half-hearted, but Bobby knew it was the best he could hope for. It made him furious to know he was stuck in a life or death situation and working with such a fool. He was tempted to launch him off the building, knowing their survival was at stake, but he knew the others couldn’t take it. They were already close to breaking point.
“Maybe they’ll help get us out of here?” Kurt was watching the soldiers methodically put down the Crazies. It was a brutal display that was a first for most of them to witness. Bobby didn’t reply as he watched them move on.
“No, they aren’t here for us.”
“How can you know that?” Adam asked.
“Because whatever their mission is, they’re getting to it.”
“What do you mean?”
He pointed to the soldiers as they reached the entrance to a bank that had been sealed shut. One banged on the door as the rest continued to engage the Crazies running at them. Blood sprayed out across the street as one after another fell to the 5.56 rounds of the SA80 rifles, and the soldiers loaded fresh magazines to keep up the slaughter. The unarmed Crazies stood no chance against them. But nobody felt sympathy, not after all they had been through. Some of them felt sick for all the violence, but nothing more.
“A bank? Why?” Adam asked.
“They trying to rob the place?”
“Don’t be so stupid, Wallace. Our soldiers would never be so selfish,” replied Roger.
“Don’t ever underestimate how selfish or stupid people can be, but no, they ain’t there for the cash,” replied Bobby.
“Then what?” Kurt asked.
“A bank is a pretty good place to hold up in.”
“You think they’re coming to rescue someone important?”
“Damn right,” replied Bobby.
“They would come and help them, but not us?” Roger couldn’t believe it.
“Believe it or not, we’re not all equal,” replied Bobby.
They watched as the heavy bank door swung open, and four people stepped out. Two carried pistols and all were in suits.
“See, personal protection and a VIP or two,” said Bobby.
“Hey! We’re up here! Up here!”
Wallace waved his hands and jumped up and down, trying to attract their attention. He couldn’t be heard over the sound of gunfire and the wild wailing cries of the Crazies rushing the soldiers as they backed away towards their vehicles. One was a heavily armoured MRAP, the others nothing more than simple trucks.
“They weren’t prepared for this either,” said Bobby.
“What do you mean? They’re kicking arse,” replied Kurt.
“You think a platoon of soldiers would come into this shit with open backed vehicles? They’re improvising. I doubt they know much more about any of this than we do.”
“They know something, or they wouldn’t be here with that kind of firepower. Soldiers don’t just hit the streets with assault rifles,” replied Wallace.
“They had VIPs to get out and a hostile situation. Don’t need to know more than that,” replied Kurt.
The civilians and their bodyguards were bundled into the MRAP. A monstrous armoured and mine-protected vehicle the likes of which most of them had only seen on news footage from wars in the Middle East. The doors sealed shut, and they were once again safe. No
thing would get inside the armoured beast that the crew didn’t want to. But as the rest of the platoon headed for the soft skin vehicles, the intensity of the attack seemed to increase. Crazies were pouring out of doorways and alleys and rushing on the troops from every direction.
The rate of fire increased from the controlled and accurate fire from earlier. They were not panicking, but they were close to it. A Crazy that was shot through the arm managed to close the distance. It grabbed one of the soldiers, but was pushed away and smashed in the face with the stock of the rifle. The same soldier put it down with a shot to the head. But as another went to reload; he was pounced on by a Crazy and pulled to the ground.
Another soldier fired to help, but the others were too pre-occupied with their own fight to even notice, and another was dragged down as by several Crazies as he tried to reload. The rest of the troops were desperately clambering onto the vehicles as the engines fired up. One more was dragged off as they pulled away, and shots continued to ring out. It was too late for the two soldiers who had been dragged down and beaten on the ground. The rest of the platoon kept firing as they drove away in the hope of giving them a chance, but it was too late for them.
“Jesus,” said Adam.
“That’s it? They’re gonna leave us here?” Roger asked.
“Look around. They’ve got bigger problems to deal with. We’ve got to start looking out for ourselves,” replied Bobby.
“How? A platoon of soldiers just got their asses kicked, how the hell can we do better?”
“Find a way, or die. Those are your options. What’s it gonna be?”
Roger fell silent, as though numbed by the prospect. But as the roar of the diesel engines began to fade, a splitting sound could be heard from the door they had sealed off. Bobby took his axe in two hands and rushed around to get a better look.
“Shit!” Part of the door had buckled, and a Crazy was trying to force its way through.
“They can’t fit through that gap,” insisted Adam.
“No, but it’s only gonna get bigger.”
“How do you know?”
“If they got this far through, it’s a matter of time till they get further.”
“If they get through, we’re all dead,” replied Kurt.
“Probably.” Bobby moved up and took a swing with his axe, burying it into its head while it was unable to defend itself. It slumped into the breach, but he could hear more behind it. Its body was quickly ripped away while another smashed into the gaping hole. Part of the door splintered further, allowing it through a little bit more. He lifted his axe to strike it, but soon dropped it.
“What are you waiting for? We could take them all out like this.”
“Maybe, but if this door fails at any time while we’re here, we’re screwed. Adam, we need to get off this rooftop.”
“And go where? Down there?” Roger pointed down to all the bodies in the street.
“Let’s deal with one problem at a time, shall we?” Bobby stopped to catch his thoughts and devise a plan before snapping into action. “Kurt, stay put, and you call if anything changes here.”
“Like what?”
“Like they’re gonna get through. You make sure we know about it. I don’t want any surprises, you hear?”
“Yeah, sure.”
Bobby stormed back to the edge of the building and found the fire escape. A steel railing led to a doorway and an enclosed fire escape. A chain with a padlock was wrapped around it. “What good is a fire escape if it’s locked?”
“I guess it’s to stop crime?” Roger asked.
“That’s a big help,” he snarled as he smashed his axe down on the lock. Sparks flew, but it remained intact. He took a stronger swing and smashed it open. He pulled the chain out and went for the heavy-duty bolt, but it was covered in rust and wouldn’t budge. He wrenched the axe blade under it, using the long handle for leverage, but still it wouldn’t move. Adam stepped up to help, and both pushed against the shaft. They could feel a bit of play and pressed harder still, but the latch of the rusty bolt gave way and sheered, leaving enough to keep it all sealed in place. The two of them collapsed to their knees.
“Goddamnit, can nothing just be easy,” muttered Bobby. He got up and started to bash the lock as he tried to push the bolt out, but it wouldn’t budge.
“It’s no good. We’re gonna have to find another way,” insisted Adam.
Bobby sighed angrily, rubbing the sweat from his face. He began to look around for other options.
“If there is no way up or down, the only way is across,” he said, looking out to the buildings around them.
“What? There are no conjoining buildings.” Adam was horrified.
“I didn’t say there were,” he replied with a smile.
“What? You want to jump? This ain’t some Parkour video,” he protested.
“No, it’s a live or die kind of affair, and I’d rather take my chances jumping than just accepting death, wouldn’t you?”
He turned back to see the others were all listening in and had heard every word.
“You think we can do it?” Lisa asked.
Bobby took another look as he assessed all the options. There was only one that they had any chance of. It was one floor lower. A small access road divided the two buildings.
“That’s our best chance. You can cover a lot more ground going forward when you’re jumping to a lower level. It ain’t that far.”
“It’s far enough.”
“Look, Adam, I don’t much like heights either, but I do like living, and if jumping this damn street is what let’s me keep doing that, then you bet it’s what I’m gonna do.”
“But you’re a soldier. The rest of us aren’t.”
“I’m a Marine, but that don’t mean shit. What I am is a fighter, as everyone has to be now. If you aren’t, you’re not gonna make it through this. Hell, I’m not sure any of us will, but a fighter has a chance.”
“Bobby!”
He rushed back to Kurt just in time to see him cave in the skull of a Crazy. The door had been smashed open far enough that its body had slumped through. He knew they were out of time now.
“Hold them off as long as you can.” He rushed back to the group who eagerly awaited news.
“That door is gonna be blown open any second now. You either jump, or you stay here and die. Who’s going first?”
Chapter 2
Nobody looked keen, but Lisa finally raised her hand.
“You want to do this?” Adam was amazed.
“Hell, no, but we don’t have a choice. I don’t want to die here.”
“All right, you’re going to have to take a run at it and take a good jump. When you land, go forwards, and roll with it. Don’t try and stay upright, you hear? You tumble forward, and it’ll take a lot of the impact out of the jump.”
“And if I don’t?”
“Good chance you’ll break something, and we can’t afford that right now, you get it?”
She nodded in agreement.
“Give her some space!” Bobby roared as he walked back with her, but kept checking over his shoulder for any sign of Kurt and the Crazies.
“You’ve got this. Get some speed up. Forget about the drop. You’re going forwards, not down. Don’t think about it, just do it. Are you ready?”
She took a deep breath and nodded in agreement.
“Go!”
She was shaking, but as his voice called out, she snapped into action and sprinted forward with real determination. They all watched her reach the edge and take her jump, amazed at the distance she covered, for she landed well clear of the edge. She went into a roll as he’d told her to, but rather unceremoniously barrelled along, landing flat on her back. Surprisingly, she was back on her feet in no time.
“I’m okay!”
“Come on, next up, get moving. Get going, now!”
Roger took up position, not to be outdone by the young woman.
“Lead the way,” Bobby said, appeali
ng to his character in the best way he knew how.
“I hope I don’t regret this.”
“It won’t be for long if you fuck it up,” he replied in a semi-friendly tone.
Roger couldn’t help but smile before getting to a jog, upping his pace to a respectable speed, and taking the jump. He didn’t cover anything like as much ground as Lisa, but more than enough to clear the gap. He groaned as his body creaked when he rolled to a halt, and she helped him up.
“Roger, are you okay?”
His winces of pain turned to surprise at her kindness. He gladly took her hand and was helped to his feet, as Adam crashed onto the roof beside him. Roger likewise helped him up, and another took the jump, but didn’t roll. His left leg collapsed under him as the man cried out in pain and fell flat onto the roof. Adam helped haul him out the way of the others as he screamed out in pain.
“Bobby!”
Bobby saw Kurt running around the corner in a panic. His bat was covered in blood.
“Keep going, jump!” Bobby shouted to the others as he lifted his axe and headed towards him.
Kurt turned around to take up position by his side as the first Crazy came around the bend ahead of them. Kurt was blowing hard and already looked tired, so Bobby went forward to take the first one. He swung the axe at its legs and struck both of its knees, causing a sickening crunch sound to ring out as it tumbled and landed at Kurt’s feet. He then delivered a two-handed blow to the head to finish it.
Bobby looked impressed, but he heard the cry of another two coming at him. He swung at one, burying the axe in its forehead, but the other one was on him in no time. Before he could retrieve his weapon, he fell down with the salivating Crazy on top of him, lashing down blows against him. He covered up and took them on his forearms, but they were hurting him, and he couldn’t get free.
Kurt rushed up and soccer kicked it to the head, throwing it off of him. Bobby rolled onto his feet and got back up at the same time as the Crazy, but had no time to retrieve his axe. Kurt was already facing another and couldn’t help him. The Crazy rushed at him, and he did the same. At the last moment, he veered off to one side, grabbed hold of it, using all his body weight to pull it around and catapult it into the air. It launched clear off the edge of the building to its death. Kurt smashed down the hands of one, delivering a brutal swing with the bat that broke the neck of another, but still more came.
The Armageddon Series | Book 2 | Pandemic, Part 2 Page 1