by Smith, I. J.
Frank looked around; he could see Kat and Tommy still killing the zombies, who attempted to climb under the bus, several other all stood around. Frank feared they would break the gate open again, and this time would kill everyone, he knew he needed to buy them some time.
“OPEN IT!” Frank shouted to a shocked looking Alice.
The Mercy drove inside; there were at least a dozen of them.
Back on the road, Jack sat in the front of the overcrowded Minivan. Zoe was driving along the black road; she kept the headlights off so she only had the shining of the moon to guide her.
Jack realized he had not spoken to Zoe properly since he returned.
“At least it stopped raining,” Jack observed.
Zoe glanced at him with a smile.
“You OK?” Jack asked her.
“I should be the one asking you that,” she replied.
There was a moment of silence between them.
“You should have come back!” she said firmly.
Jack looked at her, confused.
“What?” he asked.
“You should have left Frank in London and came back. We needed you, Frank was never strong enough to lead,” she told him with a firm voice.
“Frank did his best!” Jack replied.
“No, he didn’t and there is nothing you can say to change my mind of that. We hid in a school, waiting for miracle and all that happened was death!” she told him firmly.
“Death is following us, no matter where we go, it always has. You can’t blame Frank for that!” Jack replied.
Zoe looked hard at Jack, “I don’t blame him, I blame you!” she quickly told him.
Jack looked out the window of the car at the darkness.
Back with Squid, they were now approaching a large metal gate. Stopping the car, the large woman who was driving turned to look at Squid.
“Is this it?” she asked him.
A bright light beamed through the windscreen.
Squid smiled, “This is Mercy,” he stated.
Getting out of the car; Squid spoke to a man holding the powerful torch. He quickly returned to the 4x4, “OK, just drive on in!” he told them, as he climbed back into the vehicle.
The 4x4 drove on through the opening gates, they drove along a long-graveled path towards a large stately home, lanterns and fires were lighting up the outside of the house.
Parking, dozens of people looked on as Squid jumped from the 4x4, the two people inside watched as the boy ran toward a very large bald man, who had a sword strapped to his back.
The large man stood up and pointed to the 4x4, with a hand gesture he told the two people to come on outside.
“They saved me, and bought me here!” Squid tried telling the large man.
The large man walked towards the two strangers, “I am Macleod, and we are Mercy,” he told them sternly.
Squid stood by Macleod’s side; suddenly he was grabbed and was turned face to face with Macleod.
“What happened?” Macleod asked.
In fear the boy spoke, “We were attacked; I recognized one of the men from the school we went to!” Squid struggled to speak.
“You were beaten by cowards!” Macleod observed.
“There was someone leading them, he was crazy, he blew our people up with a grenade!” Squid stammered in fear of his life.
“A crazy man!” Macleod laughed.
The crowd of people around them all laughed, too.
“So, what did this crazy man look like?” Macleod asked.
Squid closed his eyes, “I don’t know I heard his voice, he called himself The Reaper!” he replied.
Macleod threw the boy to the ground, “The Reaper, so tell me did he wear a mask and a cape?” he demanded angrily.
Macleod reached for his sword.
The person in the hooded cloak stepped forward, “You should listen to the boy. The Reaper is very real and very dangerous!” a rusty voice said.
Macleod looked at the hooded person, “And who the fuck are you?” he asked.
There was a silence.
“You should be scared!” the rusty voice said.
Macleod laughed aloud, “This Reaper is the one who should be scared!” he replied.
The hooded figure stepped forward, pulling the hood from their head.
Macleod looked on, horrified at the sight.
“My people danced with The Reaper and he killed everyone, except for me!” the rusty voice said.
Everyone looked at the disgusting sight of a melted face, covered in scars, a black hole where an eye once belonged; puss bubbles covered most of its skin.
“My name is Alina, and I WANT THE REAPER!” her voice said angrily.
CHAPTER TEN
TIME
In the school, Frank stood confronting The Mercy bikers.
“Where are our friends?” a skinny red bearded man asked, still sitting on his bike.
Frank smiled, he was tired of all this and looked at the bikers.
“You should leave. Your friends are all gone, and right now, they are being digested by the zombies on the other side of that fence,” Frank replied while pointing the swarm of zombies outside the fence.
The Mercy looked around in anger; “Every person here is dead now!” one of the bikers said to Frank.
The red bearded biker, walked over to Frank, “Starting with you bitch!” he told Frank.
The biker pulled a knife and lunged at Frank. Frank side stepped and grabbed the man round the neck. Frank looked at the other bikers and with a smile, he twisted the red bearded bikers head, a loud snapping noise echoed all around.
Standing there smiling, Frank stared at them while dropping the dead man to the ground.
The eleven other bikers all climbed off their bikes and walked towards Frank.
“Bring it!” Frank smiled and told them.
The bikers all smiled as the rumbling noise of cars approached the school. The Mercy turned as one, smiling as Macleod made his way into the school.
The large truck, with a giant painted red M on the side of it pulled into the school.
A large bald man, with tattoos of Angel’s wings on his head stepped out, holding a large sword.
“Where is the fucking Reaper?” Macleod snarled.
Dozens of Mercy men emerged from the vehicles and within moments, screaming tore through the night sky. The Mercy men began rounding up people and dragging them around, the men of the school tried to fight back but were quickly beaten down.
Macleod stepped directly in front of Frank, “Where is he?” Macleod demanded.
The Minivan was getting closer to the school.
Bray was leaning over the front to speak to Jack, “Never had chance to say this before now, but it’s damn good to have you back brother!” Bray told him.
Bray held his hand out, Jack quickly grabbed it and pulled him closer, “I made you a promise and I will keep it,” Jack told him.
Bray knew he was talking about looking for his family, with a smile he nodded and sat back in his seat.
Jack looked at Zoe once more; they had not spoken in a while.
Zoe noticed and glanced back at Jack.
Her eyes were glossed over with tears; Jack gave a half smile and placed his hand on hers.
“I’m back now!” he said to her.
She smiled widely and gripped his hand tight.
They turned the corner to approach the school and Zoe stopped the car suddenly, everyone in the Minivan were in shock at what they were seeing ahead of them.
Jack stepped out of the vehicle, looking towards the school to see two huge burning crosses with people tied to them, and their bodies were burnt black.
He also noticed that others were locked inside a bus, only a few were on the grounds of the school, the screams of women could be heard echoing thought the night air.
Ray stood next to Jack; looking into the school ground area and could see Kat being dragged away by The Mercy into the school building.
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nbsp; Trying to rush forward, Jack grabbed Ray’s arm. Angry, Ray pushed Jack’s hand away, attempting to move forward again. Jack wrestled with him again and pulled him back. Pushing Ray against the wall, Jack held him tight; he could see the fear in Ray’s eyes.
“I’m going to get Kat, I promise,” Jack told him calmly.
Ray grew more stressed and began to panic, his breathing grew rapid.
Jack placed his hands-on Ray’s face, “I lost the woman I love and a child I never knew about. Do you think I am not going in there to get Kat?” he asked.
Looking into Jacks eyes, Ray could see the determination; he could also see the anger.
Jack walked to the Minivan, opening the boot he pulled out a bag containing weapons and ammo.
Bray spoke to Jack, “You’re not going in there alone, not this time!”
With a smile, “I welcome the back-up!” Jack replied.
Ryan and Adam both joined Bray and Jack, “You’re not leaving us behind either!” Ryan told them.
Jack pulled the c4 and grenades from the other bag.
Checking his sidearm, he tucked extra ammo clips into his belt.
“This is going to get bloody; I’m not looking for prisoners!” Jack told them.
Jack looked directly at Adam, “If you can’t handle what I’m about to do, you should stay here!” he told him.
Adam clicked the safety switch from his gun, “They need to die!” he replied.
Walking around the car, Zoe stood in front of the men.
Jack stood looking her in the eyes, “I need you to take Ray and the kids and wait for us back outside the Army Base. Zoe before you protest, I need you to do this!” Jack asked her.
Zoe smiled and looked at Jack, the man she missed.
“Go get the bastards!” she told him.
The four men began to walk off when Ray grabbed Jack’s arm, “I know you want revenge, but please think of Kat and Tommy!” Ray struggled to tell him.
“I’m bringing her back, I promise!” Jack replied.
Zoe and Ray drove away with the kids; they planned on hiding near the Army Base and wait for the others as Jack told them they should.
The four men took one last look at the vehicle driving away.
“So, what’s the plan?” Adam asked.
“That’s a stupid question!” Ryan replied.
“We kill them all!” Bray added.
“Then let’s get started!” Jack told them.
The four of them disappeared into the darkness.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
WAIT
Frank was on his knees, his face was once again bleeding, and Macleod walked around him holding his sword.
Frank waited for the blade of the sword to swing through the air and kill him.
“The Reaper… I like the name, so why do they call him that?” Macleod asked. Frank laughed for a moment.
“Something funny?” Macleod snapped, placing the blade of the sword on Frank’s shoulder.
Frank turned his head to look at Macleod.
“The Reaper! I gave Jack that name, you can shoot him, stab him and try to kill him, but he will always come back!” Frank spoke with pride in his voice.
Macleod laughed aloud, “You make him sound immortal!”
Franks face turned serious as he focused his dark eyes on Macleod.
“Not immortal, but when he has a mission nothing can stop him!” Frank replied.
“And what’s his mission then?” Macleod asked.
“You!” Frank quickly replied.
Macleod frowned.
“You fucked up; you killed the one person on this planet that could have stopped him. That one swing of your sword that took her head off ended your life and anyone else who stands in his way!” Frank told him with a smile.
For the first time, Macleod actually looked concerned, but quickly turned back to anger.
“I look forward to him trying!” Macleod spoke staring Frank in the eyes.
Frank moved his face closer to him, “Try? Macleod you’re already dead!” Frank told him with a look of excitement.
Macleod stepped back.
Frank looked at the ground, blood dripped from his face. He knew his time was coming to an end, as he looked around at the school. Seeing the people, he swore to protect being beaten, hung up on wooden crosses and being burnt alive, and hearing the sounds of women screaming from inside the school. A tear dropped from his eye landing on the drops of blood.
“We need a way in?” Bray asked.
“I told you, I checked all over there is no way in. One side is covered with Mercy and the other covered with zombies,” Adam replied.
Jack and others remained in the shadows, Bray and Adam argued. Ryan stood in silence waiting for the moment of attack to come. Jack stared at the school, trying to clear his mind of Elle and revenge, and focus on saving the innocent.
“Jack!” Adam spoke out.
Remaining silent, Adam asked again, “Jack?”
Suddenly drops of rain fell; Jack looked up at the cloudy sky. Jack had never been a religious person; he had seen and done too much to believe in a higher power. But for the first time, he questioned his beliefs. As the rain dropped on his face, he found a way in.
Zoe was driving Ray and the kids away from the school.
“We should have stayed,” Zoe said to Ray.
Glancing over at Zoe, “NO! Jack can handle it, he always does!” Ray replied.
Zoe had a look of curiosity on her face, “You guys travelled together for a while, I guess you and Jack ran into a few problems along the way?” she asked.
Ray looked at the kids behind them; they seemed lost in their own little world.
“We had a few, to be honest if it wasn’t for Jack, me and my family would have died a long time ago,” Ray told her.
Suddenly Zoe was blinded by headlights of another car that approached them head-on. Zoe swerved the car, to avoid being hit. As she struggled for control of the car, it went off the road and into a fence. The car that forced them off the road stopped behind them, two people appeared from the car holding blades, and walked towards Zoe, Ray and the kids.
Ray struggled to move, his head was bleeding from the crash, and he looked over at Zoe who was not moving. Before he could move further the car door was pulled open, a large woman stood with a blade about to attack Zoe.
“You bitch!” Ray shouted out.
As the large woman smiled, she raised her blade; Ray struggled to remove his seatbelt. He was suddenly surprised when a gunshot rang out, a bullet hit the large woman in the face, the back of her head exploded spraying blood and brain matter out into the night air.
Zoe was fine; she jumped out of the car and pointed the gun towards the second person who stood there in a hooded black cloak.
“Who the fuck are you?” Zoe asked.
Ray managed to get free and climb out of the car; he quickly checked on the kids and then focused his attention on Zoe and the hooded figure.
“I SAID, WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?” Zoe shouted.
“Hello Alina,” Ray said.
Alina removed her hood, Zoe stood shocked, hearing Ray say her name.
“Ray,” Alina replied in a sarcastic voice.
Zoe glanced over to Ray, while keeping the gun aimed at Alina.
“So, where’s our boy?” Alina asked.
Ray smirked. “How many of your people does he have to kill before you finally get the message?” Ray answered in reply.
Zoe looked at Ray, confused. “When did you meet this bitch?” Zoe asked.
“Oh, she followed us for a long time, sent her goons to kill Jack,” Ray replied.
With his eyes focused on the disfigured face of Alina, Ray continued to speak. “She tried killing Kat and Tommy, she tried killing me, but Jack saved us and killed them all. But this bitch is a cockroach, she just runs and hides.”
Zoe noticed the look of anger and hatred on Ray’s face; she knew there was more to this story.
“We can’t stay here too long!” Zoe told him.
Alina stood with her arms held high in the air.
“I surrender,” Alina said with a smile.
Alina smiled wide, in her mind thinking how weak these people were, knowing they would not kill an unarmed woman.
Zoe walked toward Alina.
“You Surrender?” Zoe asked her.
Still with a smile she replied, “Without question.”
Zoe gritted her teeth and turned away, Alina lowered her arms when suddenly Zoe turned back and smashed Alina in the face with her gun.
As Alina hit the ground, the groaning of the zombies came closer. With her face bleeding Alina looked up at Zoe, “OK! Feel better now?” she asked.
Zoe stood over Alina, glaring at her in anger.
“Zoe, they’re coming. We need to go, now!” Ray pointed at the zombies heading towards them.
Backing away, Zoe watched as Alina struggled to her feet. Suddenly their eyes locked, Zoe pointed her gun and shot Alina in the kneecap, once again Alina fell hard to the ground, screaming in pain.
Zoe walked back to the Minivan, Ray was already inside.
“NO! NO! PLEASE YOU CAN’T LEAVE ME HERE!” Alina screamed as the zombies surrounded her.
Zoe looked in the side mirror and watched as the zombies, tore Alina’s body apart, her screams echoing into the night.
Finally, Zoe tried starting the mini-van, it struggled but eventually started. Zoe took one last look in the mirror as a zombie was biting into Alina’s face, tearing a large lump of flesh from it. Zoe gave a small satisfied smile and drove away into the night.
CHAPTER TWELVE
STAND
The cloudy night skies opened up, rain poured down heavily now. On the roof opposite the school; Jack, Ryan, Bray and Adam stood looking over at the school.
The screams of pain and torture echoed in the night sky. Barrels around the school ground were lit and flames flickered in the night.
Jack stood looking at the mayhem.
“Are you serious?” Adam asked Jack.
Standing on the ledge, Jack had removed his belt and held it over a power cable that was over head. The cable went from the top of the building to the roof of the school.
