Holocaust

by Ifedayo Adigwe Akintomide

  Chapter Thirty Three

  Taiwo and Olatunji watched the drama unfold from the tarmac with wide horrified eyes. “Do you think he got the vaccine out before the plane exploded?” Taiwo asked in a shaky voice.

  “I am not sure __ but what I do know is we have to get out of here.”

  He tore towards the gate even as he said this. His walkie talkie came out in a jiffy and he started barking commands into it. Through the din, Taiwo could only hear words like ‘get us out’ ___ wa gbe wa.* *come get us!

  A crumpling metallic sound rang out from the east side of the compound. “Ki tun niyen???”* Taiwo barked stilled running. *What is that now??”

  “I think that might be the fence.” Olatunji said in a grim tone. They increased their pace. No one needed to voice out what might have caused the fence to collapse.

  The back windows of the administrative building exploded outwards about fifty meters behind. Olatunji glanced back as he ran. Three of his men were just picking themselves up; three others were already sprinting towards them.

  The blackened depths of each broken window remained empty for a total of five seconds before a dozen infected leaped out after his fleeing men.

  The outpour was so great some got firmly wedged between each frame, the jagged pieces of glass gouging hollows in the sides of their abdomens.

  The main gates of the airbase approached. Their racing feet slowed when they saw the hundreds of infected bodies mashed against the gates. Save a miracle, no one was getting out through those gates.

  “What do we do now?” Taiwo asked running alongside Olatunji.

  “Let’s pray the helicopter gets here.”

  “LOOK OUT!” A soldier barked from behind. Taiwo dived hitting the dirt hard. He saw something huge sweep over him out of the corner of his right eye.

  Olatunji wasn’t fast enough and he was bludgeoned, flung like a ragdoll over twenty feet before hitting the ground hard. He became still, his right leg twisted at an awkward angle.

  The creature that hit him rose to its full height roaring its fury into the cloudy skies. Its torso was huge, seemingly able to crush his tiny limbs beneath it. It’s heavily muscled hands had six inch claws attached to them.

  “Is that___” Taiwo began swallowing.

  “Yes __” Another soldier murmured behind him. “I think that’s what they call a darkling.”

  Taiwo swung around startled. He hadn’t even heard the man approach. The creature roared again and streaked towards them. Taiwo and the other soldier raised their weapons firing hundreds of rounds into the creature’s chest. It took both of their full clips to bring the thing down.

  Only then did their hearts slow somewhat. The loud whoop whoop of an approaching helicopter interrupted the deathly quiet that ensured. They looked up; the helicopter was a mile out and closing. Relieved and excited gazes were exchanged as it approached.

  Soldiers manned the long guns sticking out of both sides of the chopper. Their eyes and faces were grim. Taiwo squinted, just able to see Catherine crouched in one corner at the back.

  Taiwo raced to Olatunji’s crumpled body and crouched down beside him. He winced when he saw the darkening bruise on his forehead. His eyes drifted down, eventually stopping on his leg. It was definitely broken. He could see a bit of bone poking out just beneath the knee. He swallowed closing his eyes to shut out the gruesome image.

  This was a bit of a dilemma. How did they move him without damaging the leg further? His eyes drifted to the approaching helicopter. It was barely five hundred meters away. They didn’t have a choice. They had to move him. It remained to be seen what the consequences of that would be.

  “Help me get something to wrap the wound.” The soldier behind nodded and raced to the medic some distance away who was firing into the rabid mob of infected racing their way.

  Two soldiers were brought down as he watched. The medic took to his heels racing his way. The soldier gave covering fire bringing down dozens of infected. The medic sprinted past hurtling to Taiwo and the downed Olatunji while the soldier continued to fire. The gun gave a loud click as the magazine ran out of bullets.

  Turning, he raced after them struggling to reload. Taiwo and the medic already had Olatunji on his feet but he didn’t seem to be conscious.

  He glanced back; a dozen infected were a hundred yards away and closing. A rumbling wave of sound suddenly drifted their way. It came from behind the administrative building. Even as he watched a violent rabid mob of at least two thousand poured out from behind the building.

  A dozen hands were almost scratching his back when the din of exploding guns rang out. Startled the soldier looked up. The soldiers manning the guns on the helicopter were firing into the crowd of infected just an arm reach from him. They fell like flies spilling their bluish green blood into the dirt. A rope and two ladders were flung down.

  Taiwo quickly snapped Olatunji’s harness onto the rope and he was pulled upwards. The rest of the soldiers clambered up the ladders barely managing to keep the infected’s fingers from grabbing their heels. Bullets fell like rain dropping the infected by the dozen’s but more kept coming.

  Taiwo clambered into the bowels of the helicopter relieved to see Olatunji lying at the far end still unconscious. The helicopter jerked violently. Puzzled Taiwo scrambled to the door looking down in horror at the mass of infected now climbing the ladder. Two soldiers were a foot above them. But even with just a quick glance Taiwo knew there was no way they could let those men in without getting swarmed by the mass of infected racing after them.

  “What do we do?” It was the same soldier that stood behind him on the ground what seemed like years ago.

  Hearing the question, the soldier firing the gun stopped firing and faced Taiwo.

  “Why are you asking me?” Taiwo growled uncomfortable with having to seal the fates of two men.

  “Because until he wakes up __” He began jerking a thumb Olatunji’s way. “__ you are the one in charge.”

  “But am just a police man; how can I give commands to soldiers?”

  “I think we’re past the level of rank now. You and I both know if we let those men in we’ve sealed our fates.”

  Taiwo’s eyes grew sad. “Drop the ladder __” He barked. Those were the hardest words he’d ever had to say in his life.

  The soldier at the gun reached down and unclasped it. There was a sickening snap and both ladders dropped. The piercing screams of both men was like a stake driven into Taiwo’s heart. He walked to the extreme end of the helicopter and sank into the chair snapping himself in as the helicopter rose high and turned flying in an eastward direction.

  Taiwo’s mind drifted as they flew. What did they do now? It was unclear if the vaccine would work and even if it did where did they go from here? The country’s government was basically nonexistent. The number of infected person’s had grown exponentially. If the vaccine was ineffective there was probably no hope for any of them. That was even in the event that the flying monstrosities could be ignored, which he was willing to bet could not. It was a grim group that made the long flight back to the mobile labs. Catherine assured them they would know the results in a few days. He prayed to God she was right and had done her calculations well.