Damned Are We

by Durman, Jason

  "Consider it payback for saving my life last night."

  "Twice," she shot back teasingly. "I'm stil gonna hold you to that beer."

  Corvo gestured down to the six-pack at Jacob' feet. "Help yourself."

  Samantha made a disgusted face. "He can have them."

  "I think I'll have one," Markus piped up suddenly. "It's been a while since I've had a drink. Hey, Jacob! Throw me a beer!"

  "Fuck off."

  After the trek through the sewers the previous day, the survivors took the time to have a wary picnic

  in the sun, and then took to scavenging what ammunition and supplies they could from the street.

  When it came to making forays into nearby shops, they went in pairs, covering each other.

  Fortunately, there were very few Common Infected lurking indoors, and they taken care of quite

  easily.

  However, the situation made Markus feel uneasy. If most of the army in the town had been wiped

  out, there must have been a lot of Infected. So where were they al ?

  Samantha and Jacob' backpacks were soon relatively laden with dry food. In addition, everyone's holsters were bristling with ammunition for their various weapons, and a Molotov hung from each,

  courtesy of Jacob' alcoholism.

  "Alright, ladies," Corvo said aloud, slinging the sniper rifle across his back. "Riverside was a bust.

  Let's get to the river and get the hel outta here."

  With that, the group set off again, making their way north through the town. A sombre silence hung

  over them as the dreary sunlight filtered through the pall of clouds overhead. On a pleasant Sunday

  afternoon, a walk through Riverside would have taken little more than an hour. In the middle of the

  apocalypse, it took well over three.

  Though there were few Common Infected lurking in al eyways, behind dumpsters, and in shadowy

  doorways, their very presence was menacing. The four survivors advanced slowly and careful y,

  covering each other. Corvo or Jacob killed any offenders with their knives, and a firearm was not

  discharged unless absolutely necessary. The quiet was overpowering, and Samantha personal y

  could not wait to get out of this town. She would have chuckled with the irony of it being her idea to

  come to Riverside in the first place, but could not bring herself to do so.

  "It ain't so bad. At least I got a beer out of this trip," Jacob said to her quietly as they walked past the loading docks behind a row of industrial buildings, causing her to rol her eyes.

  The sky darkened quickly as evening approached, casting an ominous atmosphere over the area.

  Luckily (or not) by that time, they had reached the edge of the town and stood at the entrance to a

  dirt trail running between two dirt ridges cropped by trees, most of them without leaves. A wooden

  sign next to a low wooden fence proclaimed: RIVERSIDE PARK. It was impossible to see very far,

  courtesy of the fog that hung over the area

  "Wel , this looks… cheerful," Markus muttered sarcastical y.

  "We can get to the river through the park," Samantha pointed out.

  "Let's do it," Jacob said. "I'm sick of this town."

  The team careful y made their way along the trail, their flashlights leading the way. For a while,

  nothing attacked them, but everyone became increasingly unnerved as they moved up the hil . As

  they made their way further and further into the park, frightful sounds could be heard – low snarls,

  sorrowful moaning, heavy breathing. Sometimes far off, sometimes disturbingly close.

  A startlingly loud shriek caused Samantha to jump in fright. She looked toward the sound to see a

  gaunt, pale woman charging out of the trees. Jacob raised his shotgun, only for Corvo to push it

  back down. The infected woman leapt into the air with a strangled cry, only to be stabbed through

  the throat. Corvo kicked the body to the ground and cleaned the blood off his knife before shoving it

  back into his holster.

  "I don't like this, man," Markus said quietly. "They can come at us from anywhere – "

  He fel silent when the older man shot him a glare. "We've gone through the options. This is the one

  we picked. It's too late to turn back now. I'm going to see it to the bitter end, and you're al comin'

  with me."

  The grim certainty to his words seemed to rally everyone into the right mindset. They took extra care, covering al sides and making slow but steady progress. Whenever they came across Common

  Infected, they made sure to take them out as quietly as possible. After a slow and bitter progression

  through the darkness, Jacob pointed toward lights in the distance.

  "Over there. Maybe the army came through here when they retreated."

  "It sure would explain why there are so many Infected in the park," Corvo grunted in agreement.

  At the top of the hill, the team came across a tal stone structure with a picnic table under the cover.

  On the table, they found several folders and documents, outlining the evacuation plan of Riverside,

  when it had actually been in effect.

  "There's a boathouse where those floodlights are at the riverfront," Corvo commented, poring over

  the maps by torchlight while the others kept watch. "According to these notes, the military used it as

  a supply base. They kept all sorts of stuff there – petrol, food, radios."

  "Maybe they left some stuff there," Markus said hopeful y.

  Samantha peered over Corvo's shoulder and could not help but notice the isolation of the

  boathouse. Oh, nice. A cabin in the middle of nowhere. I know how this movie ends…

  As they made off toward the lights that they now knew marked the location of the river, the dark and

  twisted ambience of growls, snarls and moans echoed throughout the trees. The Infected were out

  there, and it sounded like there were a lot of them.

  Chapter 34

  "Look, it's the boathouse!" Markus commented when they reached the riverfront.

  Jacob looked at the wharf and scowled. "Not much of a boathouse when there are no boats left. Now

  it's just… a house."

  "Very insightful of you, Jacob," Corvo said sarcastically. He motioned the group into the ruined

  building. "Come on, let's check inside for supplies."

  However, they made a much more exciting discovery – an intact radio was sitting on the counter in

  the kitchen, static issuing from its speaker.

  "Hot damn!" Samantha exclaimed. "Do you think we might be able to contact the army with that?"

  "The army ain't in Riverside anymore, kid," Corvo replied.

  Suddenly, the radio crackled as it broadcasted a message. "If th… an… sur… vers... fire… sss

  respo…"

  The survivors looked at each other in excitement, and the war veteran strode forward to fiddle with

  the radio. He adjusted the dials until he finally matched the frequency with the broadcast.

  " If there are any survivors out there with firearms, please respond, " the radio squawked.

  "Survivors with firearms, huh?" Samantha commented.

  The transmission repeated itself several more times, before Corvo took up the microphone. "Hello,

  do you copy? Over."

  The radio hissed with static for a moment, before there was a reply. "We read you loud and clear,

  over."

  "I am transmitting from Riverside. We are at the riverbank, and there are four of us. We require

  immediate evac. Three of us are known to be immune to the virus. Over."

  "This is John Slater, transmitting from the Saint Lidia II . We are a smal fishing vessel anchored off Riverside. Are you and your group armed? Over."

&nbs
p; Corvo raised an eyebrow at the others quizzically. What a strange question. "Son, we just fought our

  way to this spot from Fairfield. We are wel armed. I repeat, we are well armed."

  "Copy that," the radio squawked. "We are anchored offshore near Riverside Lighthouse. We can pick you up from there. Over."

  "The lighthouse, huh?"

  "Activate the light when you arrive to signal us in once you get there. Do you copy?"

  Corvo looked at the others, who al nodded in agreement. "We copy. We'll be there."

  "Over and out."

  He lifted his M-16 rifle and leaned back against the table. "Wel , looks like we got orders for a little hike."

  "Where is this lighthouse?" Markus inquired.

  The old man spread a map of Riverside, which he had taken from the picnic shelter, out on the table

  while the others crowded around him. "We are here…" He said, pointing to a spot on the map north

  of the town. "And the lighthouse is… here. So we just have to fol ow this road southwest, and we'll

  come to it. Far as I can make out, it's roughly three miles away."

  "You want us to walk for three miles in the dark through the woods?" Jacob chal enged.

  "You got a better idea?"

  He looked outside the window at the car-park. "As a matter of fact, I do."

  Jacob walked over the single car sitting abandoned in the parking lot. It looked intact, and it hopefully had some fuel left. Just in case, Corvo was currently searching the boathouse for any jerry

  cans that the army may have been left behind.

  "Do you think you can hotwire it?" Markus asked.

  "Please," the biker snorted. "I've 'borrowed' plenty of cars in my time. This'll be a piece of cake."

  With that, he took off his vest, wrapped it around his hand and then smashed the front window on

  the driver's side. A shrill alarm erupted into the air, shocking him, Markus and Samantha.

  "Jacob!" she cried in horror.

  "Crap… I didn't think about the alarm…" he said sheepishly.

  A primal snarl drifted from the woods nearby, fol owed by others. Soon, the entire night was filled

  with a terrifying chorus of howling and screaming.

  "That sounds like a lot of infected..." he groaned.

  "Less talking, more hotwiring!" Samantha snapped.

  Corvo climbed the stairs to the second floor of the boathouse, pistol held out in front of him, flashlight

  piercing the darkness. He paused on the top step and listened for noises. Silence. Sweeping his light

  across the room, he saw that there was nothing but junk lying around.

  Perhaps the only noteworthy thing in the entire room was a clothing rack, on which several dresses

  and coats hung. He snorted in derision when he noticed a cheap, brown suit hanging among the

  other articles of clothing. Who would actually wear one of those things? The old veteran crept across

  the room toward a dark, open doorway, but then he stopped.

  Am I hearing things? Or is there something breathing in here with me?

  Corvo swung the light around the room again but nothing seemed out of place.

  Hang on… Wasn't there a brown suit hanging off that clothes rack a second ago…?

  He steadied his rifle, and then he heard some scuffling off to his left.

  Goddamn it.

  He swung his light around to reveal the culprit – a large rat scurrying along the floor. The old man

  breathed a sigh of relief – and then he just about jumped a mile in the air. The loud, shril screech of

  a car alarm wailed from outside.

  "Jacob, we make it outta here alive, I'mma wring your goddamn neck," Corvo growled.

  At that moment, a powerful arm wrapped itself around his neck, catching him by total surprise. He cried out in shock and his pistol clattered uselessly to the ground. Corvo struggled with his snarling

  attacker, but the infected man had him in a chokehold that was difficult break out of. He felt the

  attacker's head leaning forward, and then felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his shoulder seconds later.

  He screamed in pain.

  Gunfire clattered in the night air as Samantha and Markus' assault rifles unleashed a hail of hot lead

  into the Common Infected that emerged from the dark trees. So far, they were managing to hold

  them at bay, but more and more were coming.

  "Jacob! I thought you knew how to hotwire a car!" Markus yel ed as he reloaded.

  "I do! " the biker snapped. "Just give me a goddamn minute!"

  The deafening roar of the incoming horde grew even louder, and even seemed to emanate from the

  very ground.

  "Markus, I do not have a good feeling about this…" Samantha cried, firing off a short burst that took down several more Infected.

  Corvo grunted in pain as he fought to throw the attacker off his back, but to no avail. Throwing his

  weight backward, he stumbled and then slammed his back against the wal as hard as he could. The

  infected man stopped biting at his shoulder momentarily to snarl in anger. The wiry combatant took

  advantage of the opportunity to reach both of his hands over his shoulder, grab the man's head and

  violently twist it sideways. He heard a satisfying SNAP, and his attacker slid off his back to the floor.

  Corvo wasted no more time, scooping his gun up off the floor and continuing his petrol scavenger

  hunt. That car alarm was broadcasting their exact coordinates to the Infected, and they needed to be

  out of here by the time the main horde arrived. He kicked open a door and found, to his satisfaction,

  several jerry-cans ful of petrol stashed in the smal storeroom.

  Gunfire rippled through the air as Samantha and Markus stood by the car, their assault rifles raised

  to their shoulders. More infected people were appearing from the trees without reprieve, and the

  situation was rapidly deteriorating. However, with a triumphant roar, the car engine came to life.

  Jacob straightened up in the driver's seat and leaned on the window sil , a smug grin on his face.

  "Hey there. You crazy kids need a ride?"

  "How are we for fuel?" Samantha asked frantical y, swinging her M-16 around and gunning down a

  woman several metres from the car. Blood splattered across the windshield.

  Jacob casual y flicked a sJaguar, squirting a spray of wiper fluid onto the window and activating the

  windshield wipers. "Nearly empty, which I guess is why it was abandoned? But I'm sure gramps is

  bringin' us some more as we speak." He looked toward the boathouse to see Corvo running out,

  hauling a jerry-can with him. "Wel , speak of the devil…"

  "Cover me!" the older man yel ed as he ran around to the back of the car to transfer the petrol into the gas Thug. Samantha and Markus took their place beside him, firing off shots at anything that

  moved. And there were a lot of things moving.

  "FUCK this!" the former office worker yel ed, hurling his Molotov forward into the trees. Orange light flashed, along with squeals of pain as several Infected were set on fire.

  "Done!" Corvo yelled, dropping the can. "Let's haul ass!"

  "Holy shit, here they come!" Jacob exclaimed. "Holy shit!"

  The other survivors al piled into the car, just in time to see the bulk of the crowd emerge from the

  trees. There were not enough bul ets in the world to cut down the mob charging for them. Several of

  them were on fire. Al of them were gunning straight for the car.

  "Go! Go! Go! " Samantha screamed.

  Jacob hit the accelerator, sending the tyres into a squeal of protest on the bitumen as the car

  fishtailed into movement. Several infected people were run over in the parking lot. One of them,

  however, managed
to latch onto the car hood. He reared up and brought a hand down, punching his

  fist straight through the windshield. Shards of glass showered into the front of the car.

  " Shit!" Jacob yel ed.

  The man raised his hand to strike again, but Corvo was faster, whipping up his pistol and letting fly

  several bul ets. They pierced the infected man's cranium, sending him flying off the car. The vehicle

  rumbled as it ran over his body a second later.

  "They're catching up!" Samantha screamed, looking out the rear window to see the rest of the

  bloodthirsty horde approaching rapidly.

  Jacob gunned the motor and guided the car out of the parking lot of the boathouse. It peeled into the

  road and then took off, disappearing into the night.

  Chapter 35

  "Christ, that was too close," Corvo sighed from the front of the car, looking back to where the crowd of Infected had disappeared around a bend in the road. "If that's what the army was up against here,

  they never had a chance."

  "Yeah, wel neither do we, unless we get far away from here," Jacob remarked, keeping his eyes on

  the dark road ahead as he drove. "I say we keep driving and put as much distance between us and

  them as possible."

  "Are you crazy, Jacob?" Markus exclaimed from the backseat. "Those people in the boat are gonna come rescue us! We've gotta take it, man!"

  There was a tense silence, through which only the roar of the engine could be heard. The biker was overworking it to the maximum. The sheer size of the huge horde had spooked him, and he wanted

  to get as far away as possible.

  "The lighthouse is a couple more kilometres up the road," Corvo final y said. "It'l take the Infected some time to reach us. We can use that time to set up a defensive perimeter."

  Jacob groaned. "I don't like where this is going…"

  The car skidded along the dark dirt road, flanked by withered trees. The road soon came up to

  chain-link fence, which Jacob was about to drive through until Corvo stopped him.

  "Wait! Before you go ploughin' through that fence, think about it! It'll be useful to leave it intact to protect the area."

  Fol owing his advice, the biker slowed the car to a stop and got out, leaving the engine still running

  and the headlights stil on. The others fol owed his lead and ran up to the fence. The howls of the