Nurse Alissa vs. the Zombies | Book 3 | Firestorm

by Baker, Scott M.

  Nathan smiled. “Fuck you to Hell, and this cunt you rode in on.”

  “I like a man who stands by his convictions, as long as they’re my convictions.” Dickson looked at Nora. “Shoot him.

  “My pleasure.” Nora sneered. “Good riddance, dickless.”

  Nora leveled the Smith and Wesson at Nathan’s head and pulled the trigger.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The hammer struck the chamber.

  Nothing happened.

  Nathan spun to his left, smashing his left elbow into Nora’s face. Her jaw cracked with a loud snap. Blood and broken teeth flew across the office. He continued circling around, grabbing Nora by the hair with his left hand and shoving the woman in front of him as a shield. With his right, Nathan pulled his 10mm Smith and Wesson from under his leather jacket, aimed it at Dickson, and fired two rounds.

  Dickson rolled backwards across the desk and dropped behind it as the rounds slammed into the surface where he had been leaning. Splinters of wood blasted out from the chair opening, peppering his face. One struck him in the left eye, blurring his vison.

  Rage surged inside Alissa. She had placed her faith in Nora, had trusted her training as a first responder rather than her gut instinct, and these assholes responded by trying to execute them. Fuck being a care giver.

  When Carter stepped in front of Alissa and switched his aim to Nathan, she clutched the stock and barrel of the AK-47, pushing his aim to the right as he fired. The rounds punched into the desk under which Dickson cowered. Alissa placed the heel of her right boot on his right shin, dug it in, and drove it down. He screamed as the rubber ripped open the skin and tore up the muscles. Alissa yanked the weapon out of his hand and smashed him three times in the face with the stock, shattering his front teeth and breaking his nose. Carter dropped to his knees. Blood poured down his face. Alissa smashed the stock against his temple, knocking him to the floor where he lay semi-conscious. She swung the weapon over her shoulder, yanked the Mossberg off his arm, and removed her Glock from his pants. Alissa aimed the Mossberg at Carter’s head.

  With the gunfire temporarily halted, Dickson popped up from behind the desk and fired his Colt 1911 three times at Nathan. All three rounds impacted against Nora’s chest, killing her instantly. She went limp in Nathan’s hand.

  Alissa spun around and fired the Mossberg at Carter bur her aim was off. The round hit the desktop, scattering the buckshot. Several hit Dickson in the chest and arms. He cried out and dropped behind the desk.

  Nathan dragged Nora’s corpse in front of him as he moved toward the lobby.

  “Let’s go.”

  Alissa ran to the door, keeping the Mossberg trained on the desk. Once they both reached the door, Nathan let Nora drop to the floor, retrieved his weapons and her 10mm Smith and Wesson, and ran for the entrance. Alissa fired two more rounds into the desk and followed, keeping her shotgun trained on the office. They climbed into the Hummer. Nathan started the engine as Alissa grabbed the radio.

  “It’s a trap.”

  “Are you and Nathan okay?”

  “Yes. We’re on our way to you. Get ready to roll.”

  “Yes. We’re on our way to you. Get ready to roll.”

  “You heard the lady.” Chris started the Ram. “Be ready to provide cover.”

  Miriam and Kiera stepped outside and crouched behind the opened doors, using them as cover.

  Dickson heard the Hummer’s engine. He popped up from behind the desk and fired at the doorway in case one of the assholes had stayed behind to provide cover. The bullets harmlessly imbedded in the wall.

  “Fuck!”

  Across the office, Carter moaned as he struggled to stand. Blood flowed from his shin, his broken nose, and a gash along the side of his head. He rolled onto his hands and knees, spitting out fragments of broken teeth.

  “You let that bitch get the better of you. And she stole your weapons.”

  “Sorry, boss.”

  Dickson kicked the desk, breaking the side paneling. Finding the radio laying on the floor, he picked it up and raced into the lobby, almost tripping over Nora’s body. The assholes had taken her weapons as well. He keyed the radio.

  “Those motherfuckers are trying to escape. Don’t let them get off this compound. Capture them alive if possible. I want to deal with them myself.”

  Weapons firing echoed from inside the hotel. Joel and Rebecca looked at each other in confusion.

  “Were those gunshots?” asked Joel.

  “Sounds like it.” Rebecca couldn’t even begin to imagine what nightmare those who had been suckered into the hotel were going through.

  “What should we—”

  “Those motherfuckers are trying to escape. Don’t let them get off this compound. Capture them alive if possible. I want to deal with them myself.”

  Joel keyed the radio. “We’ll be right there.”

  He turned to Rebecca. “Let’s move. The boss is in—”

  Rebecca punched Joel in the face. The blow merely stunned him. She punched him three more times until he dropped to the ground unconscious. She picked up the Remington and approached the Chevy. Stepping to the side, Rebecca shot off the locked handle to the cap, raised the lid, and lowered the tailgate.

  In the back, Diana hugged her kids. “Please don’t hurt us.”

  “We’re getting out of here.”

  “What’s going on?”

  “I have no idea. But if we don’t move now, we’ll be stuck here until Dickson decides to kill us.” Rebecca reached inside and offered her hand.

  Connie took it and Rebecca helped her out of the bed. Diana hesitated.

  “It’s now or never.”

  Diana assisted her son across the bed, Brian wincing the entire time. Rebecca lowered him off the tailgate.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’ve been better,” he groaned.

  Diana exited the Chevy. “Where do we go?”

  Rebecca glanced around. The fire extended south of the hotel, and the lawn and shrubs around the parking lot burned. Beyond the parking lot, a road ran south that seemed relatively safe.

  “We’ll go that way. Now hurry.”

  “Those motherfuckers are trying to escape. Don’t let them get off this compound. Capture them alive if possible. I want to deal with them myself.”

  Through the haze, Stratman saw white exhaust coming from the tailpipe of the Hummer parked under the sheltered entrance to the motel. Without wasting time to respond to Dickson, he aimed the hunting rifle. He had no clear view inside the vehicle, so he waited, lining up his shot to take out the driver the moment he drove away.

  Elaine had no line of sight from her position atop Banana Republic. She could only see the second story of the Grand Hotel over the rooftops of the outlet stores.

  Moving over to the access hatch in the roof, she climbed down to the main floor and made her way outside.

  Dickson rushed across the lobby, firing through the plate glass doors and windows at the Hummer. He succeeded only in shattering the panes, warning them of the approaching danger.

  “He’s coming,” warned Alissa as she pumped two more rounds into the lobby, causing Dickson and Carter to dive out of the line of fire.

  Nathan shifted into drive and pushed his foot on the accelerator. The Hummer shot out from beneath the sheltered driveway. The left rear window blew out, showering them in glass. Nathan paid no attention, assuming the bullet had come from inside the hotel. Turning left, he crossed the island, bounced into the parking lot, and headed for Route 302, an escape that took him directly in front of the Levi’s store.

  “Shit!”

  The Hummer had pulled away from the hotel faster than Stratman had anticipated and his first shot missed the driver, blowing out the rear window instead. He chambered a second round and lined up another shot, aiming ahead of the vehicle. At the last second, the Hummer turned and raced toward him, trying to escape the outlet mall.

  Stratman adjusted his aim onto the driver.
>
  “Sayonara, you son of a bitch.”

  Stratman squeezed the trigger.

  A bullet struck the Hummer’s windshield, spider-webbing the glass and lodging into the driver’s headrest, missing Nathan by inches. Stopping would make them sitting ducks, so Nathan pressed his foot on the accelerator and spun the Hummer into a U-turn. Another shot rang out, and a second later the back window exploded, showering them in glass. Nathan raced for the rear of the hotel, swerving to throw off the sniper’s aim.

  As they passed by the hotel entrance, Alissa saw movement on her right. Dickson rushed out of the hotel and ran across the parking lot, raising his Colt. She had time to yell only one word.

  “Duck!”

  Dickson stood at the lobby entrance, watching the assholes steal his Hummer. Carter hobbled up alongside him.

  “Fucking son of a bitch!” Dickson kicked the metal ashtray stand by the door, sending it flying down the driveway.

  A gunshot rang out and the Hummer’s windshield cracked.

  Dickson did a fist pump. “Stratman nailed the motherfucker.”

  The Hummer spun around and darted across the parking lot, heading for the rear of the hotel, and passing within thirty feet of them. Dickson ran toward them, firing his revolver as it passed, each round punching into the metal with no effect. He stopped, calculated the speed and direction of the vehicle, and waited for it to turn. When it veered right to go behind the hotel, the cunt’s head came into view. He led the Hummer and pulled the trigger.

  Click.

  Only then did Dickson realize he had run out of ammunition.

  “God fucking damn it!”

  The Hummer disappeared around the rear of the Grand Hotel.

  Dickson spun around to face Carter. “Why the fuck didn’t you take a shot?”

  “The bitch stole my guns. Remember?”

  Dickson gave him the finger with one hand while he keyed the radio with the other. “They’re getting away. Barnes, round up the others and meet me here. Joel, where the fuck are you?”

  Joel rolled onto his side, consciousness coming back slowly. When he rubbed his forehead he winced, the pain snapping him back to reality. He remembered that Rebecca beat him up for some reason. Jesus, what had gotten into that bitch? When he got his hands on her he’d—

  Dickson’s voice came over the radio. “Joel, where the fuck are you?”

  Shit, he’d promised to bring the pick-up around front. Panic washed over him. He rolled onto his other side, relieved to see the Chevy still there. Then he noticed the bed open and that Rebecca, Diana, and the kids were missing. A Hummer raced across the parking lot behind the hotel heading out of the area. Dickson would kick his—

  “Joel, you better answer me right now or I’m going to feed you to the fucking deaders.”

  Joel found the radio and picked it up. He keyed the Talk button as he climbed to his feet. “I’m here, boss. I—”

  “I don’t care. Bring the pick-up to the front of the building now.”

  Getting to his feet, Joel headed for the Chevy and stumbled, banging his thigh against the tailgate. After closing the tailgate and cap cover, he climbed into the driver’s seat and circled around to the front of the hotel.

  Williamson heard the gunfire from the roof above him, tires squealing, and Dickson freaking out over the radio. He felt his groin tighten as he fought back the urge to piss himself. It sounded like the entire group was collapsing around him. They had been in tough scrapes before, but nothing this bad. He had seen Dickson go nuts once before on a trucker they found in a rest area who refused to take Dickson’s shit. The boss beat the guy nearly to death, set fire to his rig, and left the poor bastard to be eaten by deaders. Now he lost it on his own people. Williamson didn’t mind being part of the group as long as they took what they wanted and got some pussy now and then. But a God damn firefight in the middle of an inferno? Fuck that shit.

  Starting the van, Williamson left his hidden position behind the Levi’s store and sped down the access road to Route 302, throwing the radio out the window.

  Stratman had opened the access hatch leading from the roof into the store when he heard the van start up and pull away. He watched, stunned, as the kid raced down the access road, leaving them behind.

  Elaine emerged from Banana Republic and attempted to wave down Williamson, with no success. She yelled and cursed at the van. Stratman fired a round into the air, catching her attention. When Elaine looked up at the roof, he raised his radio.

  “What happened?” she asked.

  “The little prick abandoned us.”

  “That cocksucker. What happened at the hotel? I heard gunshots.”

  “Somehow the targets got away and stole the boss’ Hummer. They’re heading south toward the other end of the outlet mall. Go that way and see if you can head them off. I’ll join you once I get off this roof.”

  “Gotcha. Be careful.”

  As Elaine turned and headed through the outlet stores, Stratman climbed down the access hatch into the main store.

  Nathan raced across the rear parking lot of the hotel, avoiding the other parked and abandoned vehicles, slowing only when he bumped over the curb onto the grassy segment, not wanting to rip off the transmission.

  Alissa spun around in her seat and stared through the shattered rear window. “No one’s following us.”

  “Hopefully, we scared them off.”

  “Let’s get the others and… slow down.”

  “What’s wrong”

  “To our right. Two women and two children on the run.”

  Nathan could not afford to take his eyes off the road. “Are they armed?”

  “One has a shotgun. They look in poor shape.”

  “I suppose you want to go back and get them.”

  “Of course.”

  “God damn it,” Nathan mumbled under his breath. He slowed and turned the Hummer to the right, closing the range with the group.

  One of the women, the least haggard of the group and the one holding the shotgun, placed herself between the Hummer and the others and raised the weapon, though she didn’t seem competent with it. Nathan stopped. Alissa opened the door and jumped out, the Mossberg raised and ready to fire.

  “Drop your weapon or I’ll shoot.”

  The second woman hugged the children against her.

  The first one held her ground. “Are you with Dickson’s team?”

  “Who the fuck is Dickson?”

  “He runs the group.”

  “If you’re talking about the asshole who tried to kidnap us, we almost put a bullet in his head.”

  The woman lowered her shotgun. “We escaped from him. I’m Rebecca—”

  “Save that for later.” Alissa opened the rear door. “Get in.”

  Elaine reached the end of the outlet mall and paused to get her bearings. To her left, the couple that had stolen Dickson’s Hummer were picking up Rebecca, the bitch, and her kids.

  She keyed the radio. “I found them. They’re at the end of the outlet mall. They’re giving the family and Joel’s girlfriend a lift.”

  Dickson watched the Chevy swerve around the rear corner of the hotel and head for them. About fucking time, he thought. The flames had reached the outlet mall. The stores on the opposite side of the access road were already burning and fire had jumped the road and ignited Banana Republic.

  The Chevy screeched to a halt in front of him and Joel climbed out. Dickson ran around the front of the vehicle. “Where the fuck were you?”

  As Carter limped around back, he peered inside the bed. “They’re gone. All three of them.”

  Dickson grabbed Joel and slammed him against the bed. “Did you let them go? And where is Rebecca?”

  Before Joel could answer, Elaine’s voice came over the radio.

  “I found them. They’re at the end of the outlet mall. They’re giving the family and Joel’s girlfriend a lift.”

  “Keep an eye on them. We’ll be right there.”

  The
glare Dickson gave Joel made the latter piss himself.

  “I should shoot you right now.”

  “Save it for later,” Carter climbed into the passenger seat. “Let’s get the others first.”

  Dickson shoved Joel inside the cab and pushed him into the center, then jumped in beside him. He shifted into drive and took off, racing down the road between the outlet mall and the hotel.

  Chris took a quick glance in his rearview mirror. He noticed two things. First, the fire had closed in behind them, now only two hundred feet to their rear. Second…

  “We got company.”

  Miriam and Kiera spun around.

  Off to their right, two hundred deaders staggered toward the gunfire around the hotel. They posed no immediate threat. The danger came from the twenty or so deaders emerging from the trees around the restaurant and filtering in off the street, bearing down on the Ram.

  Kiera moved away from the vehicle and approached the nearest deader, which wore a blood-stained National Guard uniform. Its chest and abdomen were riddled with bullet holes and its right arm had been shot off. “I got this.”

  “No.” Miriam tried to stop her.

  Kiera neared the Guardsman deader, raised the FAL, and fired a three-round burst. Its head exploded into a shower of blood, bone, and tissue. She didn’t pause, stepping around the carcass and moving in on to the next deader, this one wearing a leather greatcoat with its internal organs missing. It snarled as she fired three rounds into its head, blasting it away.

  Miriam circled around to Kiera’s left, taking out a naked male deader limping toward her daughter. A second strode across the restaurant’s entrance dressed in jeans and a plaid wool shirt. A handcuff still hung around its right wrist, the other end holding a chewed off arm. Miriam moved up to it, pumped a round into the chamber, and vaporized its head.