He was halfway through a mental debate over whether or not he would continue reading after cannibals were introduced when the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. He lifted his eyes from his book, his hand creeping toward his rifle. The cold air was suddenly unnervingly still. A tingling fear crept up his legs like an electric current, until it came to rest in his rapidly beating heart.
The base was dead silent.
“Corporal!” Jason snapped in a restrained whisper. He picked up his M4 and flipped the safety to semi fire.
Nick’s eyes popped open and darted around the room for a split second before his hand shot to his own rifle. Jason lifted his fingers to his lips motioning for silence. Jason pointed to his ears, then out the window. The young Corporal nodded and brought his rifle to alert, the weapon tucked to his shoulder with his barrel angled down.
Jason cocked his ear toward the window and listened. A wet thud like a hammer hitting a side of beef reverberated through the mostly empty street. He turned to give Dunford and order when suddenly his body erupted in goosebumps.
The loud bark rattled his chest, the sharp sound bouncing off buildings up and down the street. The creatures responded, frenzied growls erupting in the stillness as dozens of feet shuffled away from the window.
Jason looked over at the young wide eyed Corporal, finding the same confusion he felt mirrored in the young man’s face. He moved to open the blinds to get an idea of what was happening outside when a series of taps on the door froze him in his tracks.
“SOS?” Nick questioned. “Morse code?”
“Open the door!” Jason snapped, raising his rifle to the ready.
Jeffries suddenly appeared at the top of the steps, rifle tucked and pointed at the white door. Divots pock marked his reddened cheek from his chin to his black stubbled hair, the result of sleeping with his face on the carpeted floor upstairs. He sidestepped downward, his short stocky frame gliding down the stairs as he kept his rifle sights trained on his target.
“We fucked, Gunny?” he asked, his breaths rapid and hands trembling.
“We’ll see. Watch that door!” Jason snapped. The dead outside built into a fury, the crescendo of animalistic growls intensifying with every passing second.
“The natives are getting a little restless out here!” came a man’s hushed and raspy voice with a hint of southern drawl. “Mind letting me in?!”
Nick carefully unlatched the locks, looked over at Jason, and swung the door open. A large round faced man stood at the entry way, his MCCUUs drenched in putrid black fluids. His M4 dangled from a single point harness across his chest, a M1911 resting in a drop holster on his leg. A small shovel sat firmly in his right hand, dripping with thick syrupy gore.
Next to him stood the largest golden retriever Jason had ever laid eyes on. The canine’s blood caked golden fur rippled along its back as it bristled in anger. His lips pulled back, long and very dangerous looking teeth bared in their direction.
“Titan! Friends!” the man commanded. Instantly the animal calmed, teeth vanishing behind black lips and replaced with a long drooling tongue. With a wagging tail he looked up to his master and waited for his next command.
“Get inside!” Jason ordered.
“My thoughts exactly,” he said. “Titan, come!”
“Holy shit! What is that?!” Jefferies gasped as the huge dog sauntered in, nails clacking heavily on the white tiled entry way.
“He’s a retriever mix,” the stranger said as he stepped over the threshold. Nick stole a glance out into the foggy night before closing the door, flipping his rifle to safe.
“Mixed with what?! A werewolf?!” Jeffries gasped.
“Jeffries, stow it!” Jason ordered. “You need to drop that weapon. Now!” Jason snapped, turning his attention to the stranger.
“This ain’t a weapon,” he said with a grin. “It’s just a shovel.”
“It’s the fact that your e-tool has been sharpened and is dripping with blood that has my attention. So I don’t care if it’s a picture of the Pope humping a three legged mule, you drop it or I drop you!”
“Alright, Gunny. Alright,” the man said, slowly lowering the odd looking weapon to the floor. “But you have a lot of listening to do, and a very short time to do it in. So we can stand here chatting until we die, probably in the next few minutes or so, or you can listen to me and we can all get out of here.”
“Jeffries,” Jason commanded, no longer maintaining noise discipline. “Gear up, and grab what you can. We move in five mikes.”
“Yes, Gunny!” Jeffries barked as he turned and sprinted back up the stairs.
“That’s a good idea. Run with it,” the stranger said. His eyes darted to the window and back to Jason again.
“Okay. I’m listening,” Jason said, lowering his rifle slightly. “How did you know we were here?”
“The same way that mob of things heading toward you knew. I live across the way. I knew someone was in here when I saw your faces peeking through those blinds,” the man said, thumbing over his shoulder. His eyes continued to jump back and forth between the window and Jason. The dog had taken a seat at his feet, staring at him, body tensing at his master’s agitation.
“You need to calm down before your mountain lion gets jumpy and attacks someone,” Jason said.
“Don’t worry about him. He’s a big love ball. He just knows what’s coming.”
“What the hell is coming? You said they saw us? Those things can’t see shit after dark! How would they know we’re here?” Jason asked, his frustration growing.
“My friend,” the man smiled. “You are in for a world of surprise. While you three have been in here playing with yourselves, those things have been changing. Some of them can see pretty damn well in the dark. All it takes is one to act like they are moving with a purpose, and a whole mess of ‘em will follow. There was a parade heading towards this very house not five minutes ago. Titan and I made some noise and brought them over to us, and used the fog to slip past them to get here. But I guaran-damn-tee they will be on their way back!”
“Why did you take so long to make contact?!” Jason asked, not yet willing to fully accept the stranger’s words.
“Because I know I would be acting just like you are right now if the positions were reversed!”
“Why didn’t you radio us!?”
“Someone swiped it.”
“You mean to tell me someone stole your radio?!”
“Yes! Someone borrowed my radio without asking permission and didn’t bother to return it!” the man snapped.
“Why the hell—” Jason started.
“Okay, let me spell everything out for you,” the man spat. “One, I’m a Gunny too, so you can stop talking to me like I’m one of your turds! Two, I kept to myself because I live with my family…a family that is not there. You know where they are at? They were on an evac chopper that is probably still burning where it crashed, so I really wasn’t in the mood for company! Three, the only reason that I am here now is because I saw fellow Marines in trouble, and that shit don’t fly with me!”
Jason felt his rage subside. He lowered his rifle, ordering Dunford to do the same.
“I’m sorry,” Jason said. “I don’t usually—”
“Contact!” Jeffries screamed from the second floor, interrupting Jason mid-sentence. Glass shattered as a steady cadence of gunfire erupted from the second floor.
“Jeffries! Get down here. Dunford, on me. You, why don’t you have your name on your uniform?! More importantly, what’s your ammo situation?”
“The name’s Murphy. New uniform, didn’t have time to sew on the name. Ammo wise, I’m good for a few!” Murphy said, bending down to pick up his modified e-tool. Tucking it into his belt, he brought his M4 up and flipped the safety selector to semi.
Jason stepped to the blinds and tore them away from the windows, gasping at the thing staring back at him. Black eyes glistened like wet oil, reflecting the lantern’s light like cat’s eyes.
Its mangled jaw hung loosely from its head, the shattered remains of bone and teeth dangling from dull brown strands of dried tissue. Its tongue had been reduced to thin ribbons of meat hanging from its gaping maw. The chest was laid bare, ribs glistening in the scant light. Bloated purple organs poked from beneath its ribs, swaying with the monster as it shifted its weight back and forth. It hissed, sending pieces of its putrid rotting tongue against the window, the shredded meat leaving slimy black trails as it slid down the glass.
Several other white-eyed creatures emerged from the gray mist, moving on the house with ravenous growls. The black-eyed monster backed away, letting the others move in a wide arc around it. The first of many hands slapped the glass sending multitudes of spider web cracks darting across the window.
“Jeffries!” Jason shouted into his squad radio. “Get down here! I mean now!”
“Grenade!” Jeffries shouted back.
“Are you fuc—”
Jason didn’t finish his thought before he caught sight of the small explosive falling from the window above, hitting the wet grass with a heavy thud.
“Get down!” Jason screamed as he dove away. Dunford and Murphy ate floor as well, Murphy taking Titan down with them.
The outside lit up as the concussive blast disintegrated the glass into tiny shards, sending them into the house at deadly velocity. Rotting viscera hit the walls with a sickening slap as chunks of carrion skidded across the floor. Thick putrid blood sprayed across the room, covering the men in a mix of glass and gore.
“Remind me to shoot that dumbass if we get out of this!” Jason growled as he made his way to his feet, yawning to try and clear the ring from his ears. Titan stood, wobbling in a daze before shaking his head and righting himself.
“Stand in line, Gunny!” Dunford shouted over his own muffled hearing as he got up, bringing his rifle to bear.
Jason stole a glance at the men taking up position next to him. Their faces were stern, their jaws set and tense. Their rifles were up and ready, with eyes locked to the emptiness outside. He sighted down his own rifle as he waited for the storm brewing just beyond the veil of smoke and fog.
Through the decimated window, the flickering of a distant fire broke through the haze. A silhouette appeared against the orange light, moving toward them through the swirling mist. It closed on the window until its white eyes could be seen in the gloom.
Jason snapped off a shot, the creature’s head flung back as the 5.56mm round punched through its forehead, sending fragments of skull and brain showering upward like a gory halo. A shadowy figure behind it twitched as the bullet plowed into its shoulder. The fully dead creature crumbled to the ground as more of its kind walked over it in their zeal to feast on their newly found warm meal.
The room erupted in muzzle flashes as the men opened fire on the onslaught. Their shots tore through the monsters, the heavy odor of ammonia and rotting flesh filled the air as brains dissolved into viscous sludge.
The numbers of the dead swelled, pushing and writhing against each other until they finally breached the room. Creatures tumbled over themselves, falling through the decimated window frame like a wave of death breaking over a rocky shore.
Corporal Jeffries suddenly appeared at the bottom step, his face twisted in horror as his gaze fell upon the pile of undulating dead near his feet. His shaking hand slid from his rifle, inching its way toward his remaining grenade.
“You touch that thing and I’ll shoot you myself!” Murphy shouted over the cracking rifles.
“Get your ass over here, Corporal!” Jason ordered.
Jeffries’ widened eyes shot across the carnage. Visibly trembling, his hand returned to his rifle. His breaths came shallow and fast, sweat beads digging channels through the weeks’ worth of grime as they ran down his face.
“Jeffries!” Jason shouted. “You can piss yourself later! Get those feet moving!”
The terrified young Marine looked over to Jason, nodding rapidly as his breathing intensified. Suddenly he leapt from the stairs, hitting the floor hard, his boots touching down in a soupy mix of blood and glass. His feet shot out from underneath him as his boots lost traction, sending him flopping backward onto the hard floor.
The dead were on him before he could stand, a creature diving on top of him as he tried in vain to scoot away. He drove his forearm across the zombie’s throat seconds before its bloody teeth could clamp down onto his nose. Strands of foamy drool fell from its mouth, running across the corporal’s face.
“Titan!” Murphy shouted, pointing at Jeffries undead attacker. The tone in his voice forced a change in Titan’s demeanor. His ears lay back, skin rippling down his spine as his blood spattered hair stood on end. His lips curled back exposing long glimmering white fangs as he let out a terrifying growl.
“Kill!”
With a snarl that made Jason’s breath catch, the dog launched itself at the creature like a Patriot missile. Titan’s massive jaws locked on to the zombie’s skull as the canine skidded to a stop. With a powerful jerk, Titan ripped the monster free from the panicked Corporal. Titan’s jaw muscles strained as he clamped down, bone snapping as his teeth penetrated the thing’s head. The monster went limp as viscous slime drained through every hole, its eyes popping from its sockets as Titan let the monster fall to the floor.
Jason was on the move while Titan turned to dispatch another creature in the most nauseating manner he could imagine. He grabbed Jeffries by his collar, dragging him to the far side of the room where the other two men were situated.
“Snap out of it!” Jason shouted as he hefted the trembling man to his feet. Jeffries eyes were wild with fear, his flush face swiveling from side to side like a terrified deer. The man panted faster and faster as a panic attack set in.
“Jeffries!” Jason snapped before delivering a backhanded slap across the Corporal’s face hard enough to make his own knuckles hurt.
The effect was immediate. Jeffries head snapped back, his eyes filled with smoldering rage as his full attention focused on Jason.
“Get your shit sorted!” Jason screamed into his face.
“Aye, Gunny!” Jeffries snapped through clenched teeth. He brought his carbine to the pocket and immediately put three creatures down permanently in rapid succession.
“Get some, Marine!” Jason clapped the man’s shoulder. “That’s how we get it done!”
A sharp and painful yelp suddenly drew Jason’s attention back to the scrum as one of the undead sank its teeth into Titan’s hind quarter. The dog yelped again as bright red blood trickled down his golden fur.
Titan spun, breaking free of the zombie’s bite as he moved in for the kill. His jaws locked onto the creature’s face, shaking the monster’s head so violently the skin on its neck split open. Setting one large paw on the thing’s chest, Titan snapped his head back and forth, wrenching the creatures head from its shoulders. Sizzling brain matter flew across the room as the thing’s head was crushed like a rotten egg.
“Titan! Come!” Murphy shouted over the small arms fire. Titan limped back to the men, flicking his tongue against his teeth, trying to scrape away the putrefied remnants of his kills.
“I’m out!” Dunford snapped as his rifle clicked dry.
“I’m close to empty!” Murphy shouted over the undead snarls. “Please tell me we have an exit strategy!”
“Fall back,” Jason ordered “Jeffries, you and Dunford take our new friend and his mountain lion to the Humvee.”
“Gunny,” Murphy started. “You’re not going to pull any of that martyr hero bullshit are you?”
“Didn’t plan on it,” Jason said. “I’ll be right behind you. Get moving!”
“Surprise party?” Dunford asked.
“Surprise party,” Jason confirmed.
“We’ll be waiting, Gunny!” Dunford snapped as he turned toward the hallway.
“Titan, come!” Murphy ordered as the three passed behind Jason on their way towards the garage.
Jason stood al
one, a dead army marching towards him through the dense haze of spent powder, desperate hunger swimming in their soulless eyes. He exhaled as he squeezed the trigger, firing a single shot into each skull before targeting the next. His motions were smooth and seamless. Target, aim, fire, watch the dead thing fall, rinse, repeat. With each squeeze of the trigger, he ticked down the number of rounds in his magazine.
Shots carried through the house from the garage when he counted 11 rounds. The snaps of the rifle were timed and precise, made by Marines who were remaining faithful to the motto One shot, one kill. Jason was down to his last five rounds when the burst of gunfire ceased. A second later, the heavy diesel engine of the Humvee roared to life.
Jason pushed his rifle down when it clicked dry, fluidly drawing his M9 from its holster. He side stepped to the hallway, firing into the quickly advancing mob until his pistol magazine emptied and the slide locked back.
Holstering his weapon, he turned away from the horde and sprinted down the hall. He skidded to a stop a few feet from the attached garage door. Outside, the diesel engine grumbled as it revved. Exhaust wafted into the hall as Jason stooped over to stretch a small steel wire from one baseboard to another.
“Surprise,” he said to the mass of walking dead as he stood and ran into the garage. The large overhead door was up, the desert tan Humvee sitting outside with its rear door hanging open. Two bodies lay on the clean concrete floor between him and his men.
Jason ran for all he was worth, leaping over the corpses with newly perforated heads, his eyes stinging as his senses were suddenly assaulted by the dissolving brains. The thick ammonia smell filled him with a sudden intense desire purge himself of his sardine meal.
“Go!” he screamed as he dove into the waiting vehicle. He rolled in his seat as Corporal Dunford fed the engine, the momentum slamming the door shut, barely missing Jason’s legs in the process. The engine roared as they shot out into the fog, racing away from the zombie filled house.
“What the hell is a surprise party?” Murphy asked as he comforted his dog, stroking Titan’s large head as he lay propped on Murphy’s lap.
This Dying World (Book 2): Abandon All Hope Page 2
