The other two could barely believe he was in his element in such a place.
“You think Americans only like guns? Weapons are our life, we love ‘em all,” he said with a smile.
* * *
Kate smashed her hammer down onto the head of a Crazy, quickly turning and delivering a brutal horizontal blow to another. It dislocated its jaw and sent it tumbling over several paces where Tyrone beat the back its head with a steel pipe. It crashed down dead to the street as Adam smashed another in the face with the blunt front of his axe. He delivered a savage uppercut that caused the Crazy to lift off its feet and land dead before him.
“They aren’t so much,” spat Tyrone.
“Not in small numbers, but many more, and you’re in a world of trouble,” replied Kate.
“We aren’t far now,” said Adam who seemed to ignore them both.
But Kate was as eager and led the way. She passed on through another street.
“Why is it so damn quiet?” Tyrone asked.
“I guess they move on when they don’t find people to kill.”
They soon came to the exit of an alleyway that gave a clear view of the prison truck.
“Shit we really made it,” declared Tyrone in astonishment.
They stopped for a moment to study the scene. It all seemed quiet and as they had hope for, but before they could move, they heard a hive of activity and peered around into the street. Six people were running from a horde of Crazies, and Kate’s eyes widened in horror as she stepped away from the edge.
“To cover, now!” They hid behind large industrial waste bins that stank, but they still had a view the prison truck.
Several of the group tried to get in through the back door, but it was locked, and so they began to climb up for the roof. The Crazies ripped them down before they could make it. One woman went for the front door, but that was locked, too. She looked back in horror as her friends were torn to pieces.
“Over here!” Tyrone yelled.
“What are you doing?” Kate asked in despair.
“You did this for me,” he replied. “Over here!”
He waved his arms to catch her attention. The woman looked a similar age and complexion to Kate, and she couldn’t help but feel sympathy for her now, and guilty that she’d have left her to die.
“Come on, this way!” Kate insisted.
The panicked woman rushed on for them as Kate led them back in retreat, and they sprinted as fast as they could. As they reached the next street, she noticed a fire escape ladder. It was hanging low enough to be climbed by a bin just below it. She leapt onto it and helped the other woman up onto it, jumping up herself as the other two reached them. Tyrone was up first and jumped onto the ladder, but as Adam climbed onto the bin, the horde took the bend and rushed towards him. Before he could get a grip on the ladder, the Crazies crashed into the bin. It rolled down the alleyway and out of reach of the ladder. They clawed for him, and he struggled to keep his balance to stop him falling into the bloodthirsty mob. He dropped his axe and kicked at those trying to reach him.
“Adam!”
Tyrone was dangling above from the fire escape further along the alley. He reached up, took his hand, and was hauled up by Kate, helped by the other woman. They all crashed back down onto the fire escape, panting from the stress of it all, as the mob hissed and bellowed below. Adam sat back opposite Tyrone and looked him straight in the eyes.
“Thanks,” he declared, holding out a hand in friendship.
Tyrone took it. “We’re in this together, brother.”
The woman they’d saved looked too terrified and distraught to speak.
“We aren’t out of the water yet.” Kate looked down at the mob below and spotted another step they were heading for that would lead onto the same fire escape.
“Let’s go, climb!”
* * *
“That one is mine.”
Bobby stepped out into a street with his huge axe in hand. The creature spotted him, but he swung the Lochaber axe about his head. With one strong swing he knocked the creature’s hands aside and decapitated it. Another one rushed out from behind a crashed van, but Roger stepped into its path and smashed it in the face with the steel mace. The flanges of the weapon drove deep into its skull, and it went down. To his relief the mace had not stuck in the wound like the sharp axes they’d been using.
“I guess you were right,” said Roger with a smile.
“Come on, we’re almost on top of the target.”
Bobby led them around a corner where the Unimog awaited them. It was a large works vehicle like a cross between an off-road truck and a tractor. It was tall with tyres large enough it looked like it would float. Bobby quickly surveyed the scene before rushing to the vehicle. A body lay at the foot of the door, and he reached down and turned it over.
“What are you doing?” Roger asked.
Bobby pointed to the insignia on the coat of the body. It was the same water company as the vehicle. He reached around in his pockets before pulling out a set of car keys.
“Well, there’s a stroke of luck,” said Roger.
“Don’t we need it,” replied Bobby as he unlocked the cab, and they climbed in. He pulled the door shut and stopped to take a breather for a moment. There was movement ahead, far into the distance. A group of Crazies were chasing several people across an intersection. He slipped the keys into the ignition but paused.
“The moment we fire this baby up, it’s going to bring us all kinds of trouble till we’re out of the city.”
“That can’t come soon enough,” replied Kurt.
As Bobby’s hand reached for the ignition, his radio crackled, and a faint voice could be heard. He ripped it from his pocket and turned up the volume now they were safely in the confines of the cab of the vehicle.
“Bobby, come in, please come in,” said Lisa. She sounded worried.
“What’s up? Over.”
“Kate’s in trouble. They reached the vehicle, but another group of survivors led a horde right to them.”
“Shit,” he muttered to himself, “Where are they now? Over.”
“A roof top nearby, over.”
“Tell her we’re coming to them, over.” He tossed the radio to Kurt and fired up the heavy-duty diesel engine.
* * *
Kate led the way as they leapt from one building to another. They all landed hard but were quick to their feet to defend the edge, even the newcomer among them. It was a short gap, and the Crazies sprinted from one side to another. Some dropped off short while others just about made it, clinging to the edge as their bodies dangled over. Kate kicked one in the face. It lost its hold and fell to its death, yet another got a purchase on another that was dangling and rushed up onto the wall. Tyrone struck it in the knees with his pipe and then another in the face to knock it over the edge. Adam smashed the back of his axe down on the fingers of the last one holding on. And still more came.
“We can’t hold here! They’ll get through soon enough!” Adam yelled.
“Come on, let’s move!” Kate led them to the edge of the building, but the gap was too large to jump, although there was another fire escape leading down to the empty street. They had no choice and began to descend. As they made it halfway down, they noticed more creatures heading their way as they gathered at the base of the ladder. They stopped and looked up. The first of the Crazies coming from the roof had begun to descend the fire escape towards them.
“We’re trapped, we’re fucked,” said Tyrone.
Kate moved to oppose the first that was about to reach them and smashed her axe into its face gleefully, glad to at least do some more damage before they were finished.
“This is it,” declared Adam solemnly.
Suddenly, the sound of a truck horn blasted out loudly, and they saw the Unimog pull sharply around a corner up ahead. So quickly, the inside tyres almost came off the ground as the tall vehicle swayed on its soft suspension.
“Son of a bitch. They did i
t,” muttered Kate.
The truck drew much of the attention of the crowd below, and they turned to face it, but Bobby didn’t slow down and ploughed into the horde. The large tyres rolled over them like they were nothing, while the high front of the vehicle flattened others, leaving a trail of blood in their wake. The vehicle roared up to the fire escape so close it struck the ladder and caused it to buckle in. A cargo rack on the top provided the perfect platform for them and was only a one-metre drop.
“That’s it, move!” Kate shouted, fending off another creature as the rest jumped onto the truck. Yet she was distracted, and the creature managed to smash a fist into her face. It opened up a deep cut as she was forced back over the side of the fire escape, but that only infuriated her. She smashed the clenched fist holding the hammer into its face, and then another blow with the hammer head itself.
“Come on, let’s go!” Tyrone shouted to her as the horde tried to climb the stationary vehicle.
She cast the creature aside as more rushed down the steps to reach her and leapt from the roof. One of the Crazies leapt after her, but Tyrone swung his pipe like a golf club, smashing it in the jaw and sending it right back over the side. Adam banged his hand on the cab roof.
“Go, go, go!”
Black smoke belched from the exhaust as the engine roared and pushed on through the horde, flattening dozens as they went. One creature held onto the driver’s side door. As they began to get clear of the horde, Bobby opened his door and kicked it hard, tossing the Crazy off onto the road, as those on the roof fought off the last of them. Kate slumped down onto the roof and sighed with relief as they roared on home to the rest of their people.
“Kate,” she said to the distraught woman who they’d rescued.
Despite all the horrors she’d seen, she managed to find some words, relieved to finally be safe.
“Lexi.”
Kate felt awful for what she’d been planning to do to Matt, and yet this woman who looked so much like her seemed to be her redemption.
“All right, you stick with us, and you’ll be safe,” she replied with a smile.
“Is everyone okay? Is anyone there?”
Kate took up her radio. “We’re okay, Lisa, and we’ve got wheels.”
The rest of them began to cheer, and they couldn’t help but feel success. The wind blew through their hair as they blasted on through the city.
“All right, it’s time to get out of this shit show!” Bobby yelled enthusiastically.
TO BE CONTINUED
The Armageddon Series | Book 4 | Pandemic, Part 4 Page 4
