Storm of the Dead

by D. P. Sloan

  “Michaels hurry up please. They are nearly here!”

  Ryan looked around for something to break the door open, finding an extinguisher he started banging and bashing the door senseless until the door lock buckled under pressure, he threw the extinguisher to one side and booted the door open, allowing the teens to get inside. Then he pulled the door closed.

  “Find me rope, wire anything strong enough to secure this door because when those soldiers get in – I don’t think they are just going to take us hostage!”

  The teens moved out looking in every room for anything to secure the door while Ryan went to the window of which he came through and looked out to see how close the soldiers were. By his estimate, they were at least three maybe four minutes away. He ran out into the corridor where the front door was and met the teens, “What have we got?”

  Cody stepped forward, “A tennis net, some guy rope.”

  “Excellent quick let’s get this door secure,” Ryan told them as he took the items off of Cody.

  They ran to the door and secured it just as the soldiers got to the building. From outside they heard the soldiers shout and yell and bang the door.

  “Come out guys. We’ve got you trapped!”

  Ryan turned to the teens and whispered, “We’ve got three options – hide, run or fight!”

  “That was my dad in there,” Gregg said through gritted teeth, “I’m going to stay and fight those bastards. Whatever or whoever they are!”

  “It’s…..its soldiers,” Rosie stuttered, “Do you really want to mess with soldiers?”

  Cody shook his head, “That’s not normal soldiers!”

  Ryan nodded, “I believe it is and it isn’t.”

  The teens looked at him puzzled.

  “What do you mean?” Katy asked.

  “I believe they were soldiers but this guy you told me about – Lomax. I believe he has taken some of the soldiers and formed a mini army. God only knows what for. But it certainly looks like they don’t want any witnesses to know what’s going on that’s why he sent them after us,” Ryan replied.

  The teens nodded.

  Gregg took in a deep breath, “But why my dad?”

  Ryan simply shook his head, “I don’t know but we will find out. Remember Gregg it wasn’t just your dad that’s been killed. Katy’s dad and possibly Rosie’s and Cody’s.”

  The other three teens bowed their heads and started to cry a little.

  “Katy,” Ryan began, “I’m sorry about what happened to your dad. To see him as one of the dead chasing you is bad enough but to know that he is probably controlled by Lomax and his crew is another. Gregg I’m truly sorry you had to see your dad being eaten alive, but I swear we will bring Lomax and his crew down, even if it’s the last thing we do.”

  The teens all nodded in unison then Cody turned to him and said, “Ryan when we saw that car come into the shopping centre you said the name Michelle. Is that….is that your wife?”

  “I told her to leave and I would meet her and the kids at a safe spot before heading for our plane. She must have got caught,” Ryan replied.

  “Ryan,” Katy began, “we didn’t see your wife or any kids while we snuck down there to have a look in the tent. She might not be down there. They might just have the car and your family got away!”

  Ryan shook his head, “No my Michelle would never just leave the car when all this is going on. She wouldn’t risk her lives and the kids’ lives. Even if the car broke down, she would have stayed put!”

  “So, what are we going to do?” Rosie asked.

  “We fight those bastards outside first,” Ryan began, “then we find my family and bring down Lomax and his army and then we get out of here once and for all.”

  “We need weapons,” Gregg turned to the others, “anything that will bring them down!”

  “You mean we are going to try and kill them?” Rosie asked.

  “Those bastards outside killed my dad and turned Katy’s into a…..into a….a-“ Gregg stuttered he was then cut off by his girlfriend.

  “A zombie,” Katy added, “I didn’t think I would say those words in real life but that’s what we are dealing with here. Zombies and an army Hell bent on keeping their plans secret so trying to kill all witnesses!”

  “We are giving you a three-minute warning,” came a voice from outside the building. “Three minutes to come out and surrender or we come in and kill you all!”

  Ryan and the teens moved away from the door and thought out a plan.

  “So, we hide in the shadows,” Ryan began, “and when they burst through the doors we attack. But we do it quietly attack when they don’t see. Listen it’s going to be kill or be killed are each and every one of you up for that? You know killing someone?”

  The teens all nodded together.

  “To survive,” Katy began, “we will do anything!”

  Ryan nodded in agreement, “Okay. Let’s go!”

  The group all went in separate directions and hid in various spots around the building.

  “You have ten seconds,” the voice boomed from outside. “Ten, nine, eight.”

  The soldiers were poised waiting for the countdown to reach zero. “Five, four, three.”

  Ryan, Cody, Rosie, Katy and Gregg all held their weapons tight, ready to strike.

  “One!” the soldier yelled, “okay have it your way!”

  The door banged and banged, the tennis net not holding it. Then the door buckled under the pressure as the group of Elite Corp soldiers entered the building, all separating once inside. The scanned the areas with their flashlights which were mounted on their guns.

  “Here little pigs. Come out, come out wherever you are!” shouted one of the soldiers.

  “Yeah come out so we can fucking slaughter you!” shouted another soldier.

  Gregg hide behind a metal filing cabinet, holding a wooden chair leg high above his head waiting for the right time to step out and strike the soldier who was heading his way.

  Closer, closer, closer. Gregg poised waiting with baited breath as the soldier just passed by him. Gregg stepped out and with such force whacked the soldier across the back of his head and then as the soldier fell to his knees, dropping the gun in process. Gregg brought the chair leg down onto him again and again across the soldiers’ face. Blood flew in all directions as the man screamed but then was muffled as Gregg brought his right foot down on the soldiers’ face, caving in his nose eyes and mouth. He listened as the cracks happened underneath his foot before eventually he stopped and look down. He breathed deeply then spat on the dead soldiers’ face. He braced himself for other soldiers to come tearing into the room but no one came. So, he bent down and striped the man of his uniform. He laced up the boots once he had put on all the soldiers uniform and picked up the gun. He then turned and began walking the halls and the rooms checking for anymore soldiers.

  As he walked the halls, he saw a beam of light up ahead. He raised the gun, breathed deeply and as the beam of light flashed over him, he saw the soldier glare at him with a confused looked before Gregg opened fire and shot at the soldier, three maybe four rounds went off as the soldier got hit square in the legs and then the head. He waited again for the other soldiers to appear and right on queue they did. One behind him and one in front near the soldier he just gunned down. A crazed look and feeling came over him as he raised the gun again. He looked over his shoulder at the soldier behind him.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I was you son!” the soldier shouted at him.

  Gregg just smiled, turned and raised the gun at the soldier in front of him and fired. He shut his eyes waiting for a bullet to enter his back from the other soldier behind him but nothing came. He opened his eyes and watched the soldier in front of him fall down to his knees and then he turned around ready to take down the other soldier and that’s when he saw Rosie and Cody stand over the soldier and beat him to a bloody pulp. Kicking and stomping on him, screaming loud in anger. Gregg smiled and a sense of relief came ove
r him as he knew his friends were there to help him out. He turned back to the soldier in front of him and walked down towards him followed closely by Cody and Rosie. He saw a thin trickle of blood on the floor as the soldier eagerly tried to get away but the bullet that he took must have entered his knee because he was unable to stand up.

  Cody picked up the soldiers’ gun and Rosie held a metal pipe in both hands, they were joined within seconds of Ryan and Katy. Ryan carrying a metal folding chair and Katy brandishing a meat cleaver that she found in the small kitchen out back.

  The soldier looked up at all four of them and they all saw the pain in his face and also saw the fear spread all over his face. “Look please just let me go!”

  Ryan smirked, “It’s great when the person that came here to kill us is now pleading for their lives!”

  “Please,” the soldier pleaded, “I’ll say you are all dead. That there was a battle and both of my partners died trying to stop you all, but I finally killed you all!”

  Gregg looked at him, “That was my dad in that tent that you and YOUR team let a zombie eat! Tell me why we shouldn’t kill you? Correction why I shouldn’t kill you?”

  “Wait, what?” the soldier began, “that guy was your dad! Marty Summers was your dad?”

  Gregg nodded, “Yes and you killed him!”

  “Wait,” the soldier replied, “do you even know the story? Do you know anything about your father? Why he was there in the first place? Son he was the guy that created the virus. He was the guy that mixed a rogue strain of Ebola with his virus and then let it into the atmosphere. Your father caused all this! Caused Glasgow to become a no-go area. Caused our army to round up the dead and bring them here to quarantine them.”

  “No, no, no, no, NO!!!” Gregg shouted, “You’re lying. My dad would never do that. He would never hurt anyone – ever!”

  The soldier smirked, “Eh wouldn’t hurt anyone, would he not? Not even for three million pounds?”

  Ryan and the teens looked at each in confusion.

  “Wha….what are you talking about?” Gregg quizzed.

  “Your dad was paid for mixing the virus and then releasing it. This thing is bigger than what we have going on here right now. You all don’t understand do you? This isn’t just our little army. Our little science guys. Hell, this isn’t even all about Lomax! This is bigger and believe me; we have so many backers that no one is safe apart from the people in the know. You just have no idea. Ha! Even your beloved politicians at Holyrood don’t have a say in the matter!”

  “Well if the First Minister doesn’t have a say in this, I’m sure the Prime Minister will have something to say!” Ryan told him.

  “Oh my God,” the soldier laughed, “the Prime Minister really? You really want to go there? The UK Prime Minister is one of the backers you bunch of idiots! She wanted in because of what Elite Corporation has planned; her only say in the matter was simply test everything out in Scotland. Because let’s face it the UK Government, they test everything out in Scotland. The poll tax anyone?”

  “Are you telling me that West Minister are part of this?” Ryan asked.

  The soldier shook his head, “Did I say West Minister? No! I said Prime Minister you fucking idiot!”

  “Ah fuck this!” Gregg stepped forward raising the gun to the soldier’s forehead.

  “Gregg no please,” Ryan pleaded, “we might need him.

  Gregg shook his head, “No! My dad is dead because of him and his arsehole friends. I don’t believe a word that’s coming out of his mouth.” He poised the gun and was close to pulling the trigger.

  “Look, Gregg,” Ryan responded, “that’s all the better to keep him alive so we can find out the truth. Isn’t it?”

  “I’m sorry,” was all Gregg replied before squeezing the trigger and shooting the soldier in between the eyes.

  Everyone jumped except Gregg who breathed a sigh of relief.

  “NO!!!” Ryan shouted a little too late.

  “Listen Ryan,” Gregg said while having his head bowed, “if what he said was true and it’s a big if, then we stop this now. We take the fight back to Dunkenny Square and we finish off Lomax and his crew.”

  “Wha…what about the dead?” Rosie chimed in, “What do we do about them.

  Gregg raised his head, “We send them back to where they belong.”

  “Where…..where is that?” Cody asked.

  “Hell,” was all Gregg muttered, “Now two of you change into the dead soldiers’ uniforms, we’ve got a corporation to bring down.”

  He turned, looked at Ryan, “We get your kids and wife back and we get out of this town once and for all. We head for your plane and fly out of here, out of Scotland and wherever we go, we stop to tell the world about Elite Corporation and the Prime Minister.”

  Ryan nodded, in an act of surrender which felt like he was passing the reigns over to Gregg for the teenage boy to take charge.

  Gregg went to the front door of the building untied the rope and walked out into the fresh air. He breathed in deeply and not before long was joined by Ryan dressed in the army uniform and Katy dressed in the other one. Cody and Rosie both armed themselves with their weapons and the four of them began marching back to the square in Drumchapel shopping. Back to bring down the evil that resides there. Back to finish off Lomax and everyone that Lomax was associated with.

  CHAPTER 33

  PRIME MINISTER – NOT HAPPY

  “What do you mean there is survivors in here!” the Prime Minister yelled. She stood in the secured white tent. Standing and staring at Lomax.

  “We don’t know how there is survivors,” Lomax began, “we just know that there is four teenagers and an adult male.”

  “Lomax walk with me,” the PM said signalling the man in charge to follow her.

  Lomax nodded and walked with her, out of the tent and through Dunkenny Square. The wind was howling but it was dry. The eerie silence surrounding the duo as they walked side by side, “You have a team of army men willing to put their lives on the line for what? A few hundred thousand. You have a crack team of scientists that have come up with an unstoppable plan that I AM BACKING! And you have let a small group of survivors in our test zone. Haven’t you read books? Watched the movies? When a small group of survivors get to live, they try and fight back.”

  “Listen Mrs Prime Minister,” Lomax began, “I have sent a team to kill the group and they should be reporting back any minute now.”

  The Prime Minister stopped in her tracks, turned and faced Lomax, “Radio them.”

  “What?” Lomax questioned.

  “Radio them,” she repeated, “I bet you a thousand pounds that your team has been compromised.”

  Lomax frowned, “What are you talking about? My team are highly skilled trained killers if you want to put it that way and these…..these teenagers and adult are just that – teenagers and an adult.”

  “No Lomax you fool,” she smirked at him, “they are survivors and survivors fight back. They fight to win. So, call your team you’ll see.”

  Lomax pulled out his radio, held it up to his face, “Alpha one come in. Over.”

  He waited a few seconds but nothing responded.

  “Alpha one state your position. Over,” Lomax said into the radio.

  He waited another few seconds but still nothing.

  “See told you,” the PM smirked, “never underestimate teenagers Lomax!”

  Lomax glared at her. He raised the radio one last time, “Alpha one please respond. Over.”

  “Now Lomax,” the PM began, “what are you going to do when these guys come and attack your secured area? This secured area? Look around Lomax, we created this. Elite Corporation created this and if you don’t get your act together soon it will all be over. We have come this far, I have risked everything, money, power – the lot and if we don’t carry out what our main agenda was then it will all be for nothing.”

  “Do you honestly think a group of four teenagers and an adult can stop us?”
Lomax replied.

  The PM shook her head and smirked, “Well by the sounds of it, they have defeated your Alpha one team so I’m pretty sure they can stop you now. Unless……”

  “Unless what?” Lomax replied.

  “Unless you initiate Project Takeover!” she replied smiling.

  “Project Takeover was to start us off in the Middle East,” Lomax frowned.

  “What better way to test out the project than by doing a full-scale outbreak here in Scotland!” she told him.

  They began walking back to the main tent.

  “There will be no survivors in all of Scotland if we use the project,” Lomax began, “and we would have to get our team quickly.”

  “Look Lomax,” she began, “we initiate Project Takeover, and we then get our team out of Scotland either by sea or by air. The world sees what’s happening, I then release a statement telling the world that we found out that Matt Summers released the virus into the air during the storm, we create a back story for him – a so called record detailing that he was a home-grown terrorist working with a large number of different Middle Eastern terrorist networks. We sent in yourselves – Elite Corporation to stem the flow of the problem but you came under attack, so your team fled, but not before you destroyed the whole of Scotland, leaving no survivors and no trace of the virus which would lead back to any of your or ourselves – the backers. We will all be heroes. I will be elected and kept as Prime Minister to lead the country of Great Britain and will forever be remembered as the one that helped destroy the virus.”

  Lomax smiled and nodded, “Yeah that could have worked. But first we see Doctor West to see if we can do it.”

  They walked into the science tent to meet up with Doctor West.