by Angie
“How we doing?” Ali yel ed from the driver’s-side window.
He and Finn both swore.
An infected fell upon someone to their far left who was caught out reloading. A high-pitched squeal filled the air. Finn quickly shifted, lining up his target. The top of the thing’s head turned a red mass as its brains exploded.
But it was too late.
The man fell to his knees, clutching at the remains of his throat, helpless to staunch the flow of blood pumping out through his fingers.
“I need to get to the garbage truck,” Finn said. “We have to close the gap.”
“There are too many,” said Dan.
“We have to push through.” Al revved the engine. “Get in the back.”
Finn turned to Daniel with teeth clenched tight. “I’m begging you, get her out of here.”
“If we need to make a run then she’s right where we want her,” Daniel said. Panic ripped through him like broken glass in his gut. The thought of letting either one of them out of his sight squeezed those shards tight. “Here’s the cavalry.”
Another pick-up truck pul ed up alongside them, Santa behind the wheel. Erin and three men were in the open-top cage up back.
They were armed to the teeth, with an assortment of guns and ammunition lying loose around their feet. Erin handed Dan a couple of pistols, popping off shots at the gate all the while. The woman stayed strong despite the pallor of her face.
“Thanks,” he said.
“We’re going for the garbage truck. Cover our backs.” Finn seemed to avoid Ali’s worried gaze when he passed her by and climbed onto her pick-up’s tray in one smooth jump. “Wind the window up, Al. Whatever happens, you stay put.”
Daniel followed the gunslinger, standing up high, hanging on to the metal frame sitting behind the cab. If possible, things looked worse from up there. He blocked out the cries of panic and pain from nearby, muted the moaning and concentrated on doing his part, gunning down the infected shambling toward them. They were taking her straight into it.
His shoulders tightened and he prayed the gun wouldn’t start shaking.
If they could just all live through this, all three of them get through it in one piece – it was al he asked. And it was a shitload to ask at such a time.
Finn knocked once on the cab roof and they were off. A hot, putrid wind rushed toward them as they drove into the oncoming sea of infected.
CHAPTER FORTY
Finn stood behind the cab on the back of the pick-up, concentrating solely on one lone target at a time. He took it nice and easy, though he could feel the sweat dampening his back, and the trickle of blood running down his front. Not letting the fact that his girlfriend was driving straight into danger mess with his focus.
Shit.
He wanted Al away from this, but Dan was right. Keeping her close was best.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
More dogs appeared, slinking in, cautious now. They growled and bit at thin air. They fell upon the scene like it was a feast. Infected or no, it didn’t seem to matter.
Finn laid the rifle at his feet and Daniel slapped a semiautomatic Browning into his hand. The two trucks moved forward, side-by-side, toward the garbage truck, lowering the risk of friendly fire. It was a bumpy ride, since many of the infected had fal en. There was no clean path.
It was less than a hundred meters, but it felt like miles.
Al kept going till the vehicle’s front gril bumped against the side of the garbage truck. She had made the vehicle into a walkway, delivering him straight to the driver’s-side door.
A zombie banged against her window and Daniel dealt it one to the head.
Finn slipped his pistol into his belt, climbed up and over the cab, and stepped onto the pick-up’s hood. The engine vibrated beneath his feet.
None of the garbage truck windows survived. Andy lay where he fel , slumped against the steering wheel.
Finn pulled open the driver’s-side door.
The world lit up from the wrong direction. Lights appeared, dazzling him, shining in from out of the darkness beyond Blackstone.
From the outside. Finn shielded his eyes with his hand.
An army Hummer rolled toward them, heading for the gap in the wall. Men walked alongside, picking off the infected as they came close. Some carried pistols, not unlike his own, but not all. The staccato bursts of an Uzi or something similar cut the night apart. About nine men, max, dressed in haphazard uniform. Ex-military, perhaps.
What the fuck is this?
Five, six of the dogs stood snarling, caught between guns firing inside Blackstone and this new line of attack. Trapped. They were going to lose civilians to friendly fire if these new people weren’t careful. The moaning of the infected picked up. Many were milling about, likewise caught between Erin’s truckload of gunners and this new development.
“We’re here to help,” someone yelled before one of the men up front struck up a flame thrower. “Stand clear!”
The blue and gold of the flame flared and shot out, painting the scene in vibrant light. The dogs scattered and ran. The clothing of the infected lit up like dry grass. Burning flesh scented the air along with smoke and gunpowder.
But who were these people?
Finn pushed Andy’s body across the seat then climbed into the truck, turned the key and …
Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Finn shoved the gear stick into neutral, motioned to Daniel. “Need a push!”
The man grimaced, nodded, shot another infected wandering close to the vehicle. Two of the men from the back of Santa’s pick-up had jumped down and were working through those closest, thinning out the infected. No more came through the gate.
If the hole in their defenses could be plugged then Blackstone might survive after all.
There was a strangled cry from one of the men. An infected had managed to come up behind him. It dug its mouth into the male’s thigh, tearing through cloth. Blood gushed from the jagged wound.
Erin stood on the tray of the second pick-up, her face drawn back in horror. She raised her gun and shot twice.
The infected fell.
Without hesitation the man who had been bitten put his gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger. Finn forced himself to look away.
Nothing he could do. Besides, the job wasn’t done. Not yet. On the bridge, the Hummer drew closer and the strangers rigged out in military gear started wandering in, picking off any stragglers lumbering nearby. Erin and her friends focused on the newcomers for a moment but hesitated, shifting back to targeting the infected, the most immediate and pressing threat. Gradually the infected were being thinned out.
“Truck’s dead. Help us push it up.” Finn called out to the nearest newcomer, a big, boxy looking man with a take-no-shit face.
The guy nodded, signaled to his squad. There was a lot of yelling and movement while the two forces combined, the strangers and the townsfolk. People rushed to the back of the truck while others straddled the gap, keeping any remaining infected from entering the town.
Slowly, the garbage truck rolled forward.
The men standing before it eased back, making certain they were on the right side when the gap closed. Finn tugged on the handbrake. They had done it. Amazing.
He pulled out a pistol and swung down from the truck too fast. His vision grayed. He gripped the side of the truck, gun clattering against the metal. Weakness from blood loss crept steadily through him, draining him. The desire to sink down onto the bitumen and sit a while wasn’t easy to resist. But they weren’t finished yet.
Santa wandered forward, a messy, bloody wound on his forearm. His face was taut and white from pain. He had been bitten. “Who are you boys?”
“I’m Emmet, the leader. You been bit?” He nodded at Santa’s arm.
“It’ll be dealt with,” Santa said.
Everyone stood silent for a moment as realization sunk in.
“Dad?” Erin grabbed at the man’s shoulder, eyes red and w
ild. “No!”
“Hush.” Her father patted her hand. Then he pushed it aside. “Who are you?”
“We’re the people that just saved your asses.” The big, boxy man who had identified himself as Emmet strode forward. A malicious smile bent the man’s face and Finn readied his gun. “I believe some sort of suitable payment can be worked out. We …”
Whatever the man had been going to say was lost in a sea of red. His body slumped to the ground.
Finn looked around, his finger on the trigger. He was unsure who to aim at. The place sunk into pandemonium.
Everyone’s guns were in their hands, pointing every which way. It was about to be a fucking disaster. But most people targeted the eight remaining strangers in their midst.
Another man opened his mouth, eyes bulging at the sight of his fallen commander. There was a pop from somewhere and then he too dropped.
“Don’t shoot. Please,” one of the strangers said, open palms rising above his head.
“Explain your intentions,” Finn yelled.
The man’s eyes settled on him. He nodded and set down his gun.
“What the fuck is going on here?” Santa bellowed. Erin stood beside him, the gun in her hand trembling.
“We are all going to put down our weapons now,” the unarmed stranger said loudly.
The rest of the newcomers slowly put down their guns. Several wild-eyed men took longer than the rest.
“I’m Captain Sean Manning,” the stranger said. “The two men we just executed were planning on kidnapping some of your females.
That was the payment Emmet was seeking.”
Santa swayed on his feet but his face seemed set in stone. “Is that so?”
“Three more of these men were not openly opposed to this plan of taking your women. But we can’t speak to their intentions. We would request you send them on their way. Unharmed.” Captain Manning pursed his lips, his gaze wandering over his companions.
“Enough people have died. Emmett killed anyone who defied him. He executed men earlier this week for speaking out against him.
These three didn’t necessarily have a choice.”
“But you didn’t trust them enough to include them in your coup?” Daniel asked, keeping a hand on the truck door so Al couldn’t climb out.
“No,” Captain Manning replied. “The fewer who knew, the safer it was.”
Santa nodded, lips pressed tight. Blood seeped steadily from his wound. The man had strength and then some. “I take it the other four of you wish to remain with us.”
“Yes. Please.”
“They have nice manners,” Daniel said.
“Right now we need to clean up the rest of the town. Make yourselves useful and we’l see.” Santa ran his eyes over the men, weighing their worth. “Send your three friends off.”
The soldier nodded, clearly pointed out three of the men. “If any of you show your faces here again you’ll be shot on sight.”
Two started arguing, denying. Their movements were sharp, aggressive. But there were a lot of guns pointed at them. The third dropped his gaze, frowned hard at the ground, his mouth working noiselessly. Finally he looked up, nodded. “Can I have a gun?”
“There’s more in the Hummer outside, Nick,” Captain Manning answered, not unsympathetically.
Nick nodded just the once. The man was tall, well built. Lethal. Out of the three, he was easily the most dangerous. Finn kept close.
The man’s eyes never stopped moving, hands clenching and releasing, but when he spoke, his tone was resigned. “Alright.”
The other two men said enough for everyone standing. Insults mixed with denials. Their hot and greedy eyes slid over Erin and Al. It was all Finn could do not to end them there and then.
“They can stay the night in the lock-up at the police station. We’ll release them during the day,” Finn said. He turned to the men.
“And if I ever see any of you three near town again after tomorrow, I will kill you.”
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Ali wound down the window, curious and frustrated and just a little afraid. Her heart would calm down eventually. Probably. “Wil you move your hand, already?”
“What’s wrong with your arm?” Daniel snapped back, throwing the door open himself. He leant down and ducked his head into the cab and kissed her soundly. His hand burrowed through her hair to clasp the back of her head and hold her to him. Like she would try to escape. Idiot.
They had survived. Her men were alive.
Daniel rubbed his lips over hers, nuzzling her face. “Babe, what have you done to yourself now?”
“I’m fine.” Her shoulder throbbed, the joint swollen and hot. “I love you.”
“I love you too. That being said, you can’t lie for shit. I honestly don’t know why you bother.” Daniel’s hand stroked her bad shoulder and she whined, the pain excruciating. Gray dots hovered at the edge of her field of vision. “Damn.”
“I think it’s dislocated,” she panted.
“You’re going to have to pop it back in for her,” Finn said from behind Daniel. “She shouldn’t have been running around in the truck.
She should have stayed locked in at the apartment.”
“She can make her own decisions. And you. You have a bullet in you!” Ali shifted around in the driver’s seat, a slow and agonizing process.
“Children …” Daniel chided. “Come on, sweet.”
His big hands gripped her waist as he ever so carefully helped her from the vehicle.
“Thanks.”
“I’m gonna help them run the rest down,” said Finn. One-handed, he checked the remains of his clip. “You get her help.”
And out came her fretful tone of voice. High-pitched and panicky, she didn’t even bother to try and rein it in. “No, you’re not, Finn.
You’re bleeding, aren’t you? And we need to figure out how to get the bullet out.”
“Later.” Finn turned his back on her and reached for his rifle in the back of the pick-up. Dismissing her, apparently, which didn’t work. She knew better now.
“Hey.” Ali slipped her good arm around his waist, pressed herself against his back. “Stop. Turn around.”
With an exaggerated sigh Finn did so, careful of bumping either of their shoulders. The lines around his beautiful pale green eyes were embedded deeply. “Al …”
“I love you.”
He canted his head. “I know, but you need to stay put when I tell you to.”
“Love means sticking together. Thick and thin. Good and bad.” She leant against him, rose up on her toes and kissed him. “I needed that.”
Finn put his pistol on the pick-up’s bed, stroked her neck with the tips of his fingers. The scent of blood and gunpowder was thick in the air. “I need you. I nearly lost you again today.”
She shrugged, put on a stoic face. “Things are bound to calm down eventually.”
Finn sighed, pressed his forehead against hers. “I’m gonna lock you up.”
“You’ll try. We’l fight. There’ll be make-up sex. Life goes on.”
“Sam said there was a dental nurse,” said Daniel. “She can dig out the bul et. I’m probably going to have to pop your shoulder back, babe. Sorry.”
“It’ll feel a lot better once it’s done,” Finn said.
“Okay.” She nodded, lips compressed. Her eyes stayed on Santa, huddled aside with a crying Erin. Things could have been much worse. Daniel and Finn stood beside her, close and comforting. So many dead lay about them. “We got off light, considering.”
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Dan stopped to catch his breath. He leant against one of the big old jacarandas. A couple of members of the militia stumbled past, dragging bodies toward the mammoth bonfire burning bright at the top of Main Street. Several of Blackstone’s remaining citizens stood close to the funeral pyre, saying prayers. Mourning. There was no time for burials and no space in the little town cemetery. And fresh blood attracted infected.
Lon
g as he lived, he didn’t think he’d ever forget the smel of the bodies burning. Twenty-one of the townsfolk were dead. A hel of a toll. Lindsay’s body had also been consigned to the fire. So too had the remains of the slain infected, including Rachel and Owen.
Death made all things equal.
Ali and Finn lay tucked up in bed, safe and sound. Finn had wanted to be down here, overseeing things, but Ali wouldn’t rest without him. She’d won this round with the use of big, sad eyes and a healthy dose of common sense. The dental nurse, a lovely lady by the name of Lila, had dug the bullet out of Finn without too much hassle. Fortunately, it hadn’t been deep, but the kid had still lost a good amount of blood. Dan had popped his girl’s shoulder back in. Her pretty face had blanked, and she’d passed out for a couple of minutes, her skin whiter than he’d ever seen. It felt like his heart had stopped. Causing her pain, no matter the reason, was not on his list of things to ever repeat. It had all left his nerves a little raw.
Maybe Finn was right. Maybe they should lock her up. Something to consider. He sighed, hung his head. She’d just figure out how to pick locks.
They were all okay. They were good. Everyone would recover. Unlike Sam.
Dawn neared, the sky a hazy mix of violet and pink in the east. The renewed build-up of infected on the other side of the wall slowly dispersed, the moaning and groaning gradually calming. They’d attracted more than their fair share of attention tonight with al the noise and commotion.
Time was running out for Santa. In the eight to ten hour incubation period a fever took hold, causing the person to sweat profusely.
Skin turned from tan or pink to an eerie gray. With the light of dawn, Dan could al too easily see the toll the sickness took in Santa’s sunken eyes. It was hard to look at him, but even harder to look away. Any minute now, Santa could turn from man to mindless predator. Erin remained at her father’s side, posture rigid and face set. She wasn’t crying. Her hand lingered on the butt of the pistol holstered at her side. Waiting.
