Damned Are We

by Durman, Jason

  nearby shelves and found two bags.

  As he eagerly reached out to pick them up, he heard footsteps behind him. "Hey, look what I found –

  "

  His words froze in his throat when he found himself staring at a dark figure. It was too dark and

  murky in the store to make out the person properly, but he could immediately tel that it was NOT

  Corvo. A shrill scream split the air as he was scratched across the face.

  "Oh, SHIT!" he cried, cringing from the sharp stab of pain.

  He grappled with the infected woman, throwing her back into the nearby shelves and sending its

  contents scattering across the floor. She shrieked angrily and rose to attack again, but Markus

  swung the tyre-iron, shattering her skul .

  The sounds of quickly-approaching footsteps drew his attention next, and he was soon met with the

  blinding flash of a flashlight, along with the barrel of a pistol.

  "Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Markus, I nearly put one between your eyes!" Corvo's voice barked.

  "Where were you man?" he shot back angrily. "I almost had my face ripped off!"

  "Where was I? I ain't the one who wandered off – you were supposed to stay with me – "

  Two more sets of footsteps could be heard, and the silhouetted figures of Samantha and Jacob

  could be made out thereafter.

  "What the hel happened?" he grunted, his crowbar raised.

  Markus wordlessly pointed out the dark outline of the fresh corpse to the others as he struggled to

  catch his breath.

  The biker chuckled dryly. "You always had a way with the women."

  "Fuck you, man, I almost died!"

  "Fuck you, Markus, I was just havin' a laugh. Maybe you should lighten up a bit."

  "Hey, guys!" Samantha spoke up in an effort to ease some of the tension. "What if there are more Infected inside?"

  Everyone fel silent to that ironic statement, and cautiously waited. They al owed themselves to relax

  after several minutes, deducing that if there were any more Common Infected lurking somewhere in

  the darkness, they would have been drawn to all the shouting by now.

  Corvo angled the flashlight, knelt down and searched the body, earning him a grimace from

  Samantha.

  "Ugh, don't touch her."

  He ignored her and pulled a wal et from the dead woman's pocket, studying the driver's licence for a

  moment before flipping it shut. "Wel , that explains a few things."

  "What?"

  The war veteran's tone was sorrowful as he cast his gaze toward the far end of the store. "I found

  another body back there." He looked down at the infected woman. "It belongs to her younger

  brother."

  The pieces slowly fel into place, and no one spoke for a while after that as the probable series of

  events played out in their minds. Corvo cast a sympathetic look at the blood sprayed al over the

  ceiling all around them – blood that had belonged to a man no older than nineteen. When he and his

  sister had barricaded themselves inside the rest-stop, neither of them had realised that they were

  setting the scene for a grisly murder.

  "Jesus…" Samantha breathed.

  No one chose to say anything more on the subject, instead choosing to find what food they could

  and piling it al into her backpack – two packets of pretzels, and several cans of peaches. Jacob

  even procured two ful litre-sized bottles of water.

  "We could take turns carrying the backpack," he said thoughtful y, casting an eye over at Samantha.

  She realised that she must have looked surprised, because he shrugged awkwardly and went back to looking around. Was he embarrassed that he was being thoughtful?

  "New toothbrushes and toothpaste!" Markus said excitedly from behind some shelves. "The place is messed up, but there's a lot of stuff left."

  "Groovy," Samantha, giving him a high-five as he shoved them in the backpack.

  She even found a new hairbrush ( hell yes! ) and a smal camping saucepan. Not only would it be

  extremely useful for cooking on the go, but she remembered Corvo mentioning something about

  sterilising the tweezers. She found him outside, having found a smal stockpile of lighters and

  cigarettes behind the front counter, and was in the middle of smoking one.

  "I think you needed something like this?" she said, handing the saucepan over to him.

  "Good find, kid. That'll definitely be useful." He scratched his head. "First, I need some water and dishwashing detergent to soak the tweezers, then they'll need to be scrubbed with a spare

  toothbrush, and then I'll need to boil them in water for a minute or two."

  "Good thing we're in a convenience store. There shouldn't be a problem finding al that stuff." She turned grimly to head back into the dark store. Even though she was doing this to help Markus, she

  didn't want to spend any more time inside the horrible little building than was necessary.

  However, she stopped when she felt Corvo's hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. I got this."

  She felt slightly embarrassed, but was secretly glad not to have to go back inside. The little store had

  a dark vibe about it. She undid her ponytail and used the brush to restore some order to her hair as

  she kept watch outside. Ten minutes later, the others emerged from the rest-stop, and Corvo used a

  newspaper to light a smal fire for boiling water. As he set about sterilising the tweezers and tending

  to Markus' arm, Jacob came over to Samantha.

  "We lucked out a bit in there," she said as she tied her hair back up into a ponytail.

  "I'l count us lucky when we get our asses to Newburg for an airlift rescue," he replied, offering her a half-ful can of peaches.

  The sky slowly began to darken as evening approached, which served to further highlight an

  ominous orange glow in the distance.

  Chapter 41

  After another hour of walking, it was wel into the evening before the city of Newburg stretched

  across the landscape before the group. The air was thick with dark smoke from many buildings that

  were in the process of burning furiously.

  "The last time I was here, the city wasn't so much on fire," Samantha deadpanned grimly.

  "What the hel happened here?" Markus exclaimed. "Did the Infected learn how to use lighters or something?"

  "Those planes we saw earlier today were providing support for ground units," Corvo mused. "The army must still be here, fighting for control of the city. I'd say they fire-bombed the area."

  "That's terrible," Samantha said softly, as she was struck with the harsh reality of al the people who may have been caught in the strike zone – al now burnt to crisps.

  "We need to get off the streets," the old man said, motioning toward a fire-escape on the side of a nearby apartment building.

  He took point with the team's sole firearm, moving quickly across the street and shimmying up the

  steel ladder with impressive spryness. The others fol owed him onto the roof, where they were met

  with a shear brick wal – the side an old-looking brick structure with a glass roof.

  "It's a rooftop greenhouse," Markus remarked, his eyes scanning around for any danger.

  "Let's hope they were growing the good stuff inside," Jacob commented.

  Corvo led the way to a side door, which stood open. "Give me a light," he said over his shoulder, to which he was handed the group's one remaining flashlight. He shone it through the door and found

  himself peering into a dark backroom. "All clear," he finally said.

  The four survivors piled into the greenhouse, shutting the door behind them securing the small room

  that they had entered. Jacob barricaded both of the door
s with wooden shelves. Only then did they

  al ow themselves to relax. Samantha dropped the heavy backpack, Markus sprawled out grateful y

  on the floor and Jacob sat down on a wooden table, sweeping aside several pot plants.

  "Alright, what's the plan?"

  "Immediate or long-term?" Corvo inquired.

  "I think we al know what our immediate concerns are – we need guns. Lots of 'em." The burly biker

  motioned down at the smal flip-knife that Samantha was hanging onto. "I seriously doubt that little

  pig-sticker is gonna do us much good if we run into a larger crowd of Infected."

  She shot him a dirty look, but closed the knife and stowed it in the back pocket of her jeans

  regardless.

  "For once, you have a point, Jacob," Corvo said. "I'd wager that the army is operating from the airport – they'd need the runway for their planes. If this city has become a battlefield, then we'll need

  to be armed and ready."

  "So we'll head to Metro International Airport?" Samantha said. "We came into Newburg from the

  east, so we have to head northwest."

  "Sounds good to me. Let's do it," Markus chimed in, rummaging through the backpack and passing

  around a packet of pretzels and a bottle of water.

  "Alright," Corvo nodded in agreement, tossing back a handful of pretzels. "We'll rest up here for three hours, and then move out. Get as much sleep as you can."

  As he and Markus finished off the packet of pretzels, Samantha went over and sat down on the table

  next to Jacob. "How's your shoulder feeling?" she asked gingerly.

  "What, this little bul et-hole?" he laughed. "It's nothing. Gimme a couple of pain pills and I'll forget it's even there."

  "Jacob…" she sighed. "You can drop the act."

  "It's no act. In fact, I'll tel you what real y hurts – taking a round of rock-salt to the gut."

  "Rock-salt?"

  "Oh yeah. Our gang clubhouse was raided by the cops al the time; seizing weapons, drugs, the

  usual shit. They used al sorts of crap too – tasers, rubber bul ets, pepper spray – but the most

  painful thing I've ever been shot with would have to be rock-salt."

  "Damn, Jacob... How many times have you been shot in your life?"

  He shrugged. "Lost count."

  There was a moment of silence as they each took a drink from the water bottle before Jacob spoke

  again.

  "I'l tel you what though – if we ever run into those Slaters again… I'm gonna pump rock-salt into

  every orifice I can find, starting with their eyes. And I'l save John for last… for what he did to you."

  Samantha was horrified by the biker's bloodlust, and equal y touched by his gesture. "…What?"

  "You heard me. No one messes with you, and then makes off with al our shit – not if I have anything

  to say about it."

  "Wel … er, thanks, I guess? But you don't need to worry. I can look after myself."

  "I know you can, but the offer is there. I'll even let you kick off the rock-salt torture."

  She stroked her chin thoughtful y. "Hm, well if I run into Amanda again, I'll shoot her in the shoulder for you."

  Jacob snorted. "Is that it? Come on, you can do better than that."

  "Shoot her in the kneecaps?"

  "Not painful enough."

  "I give up."

  "How about this? You cut off her legs and then leave her out in the streets for the Infected to find."

  Samantha shot him a disgusted look. "That's dark. And cold, man."

  Three hours later, the four survivors crept out of the backroom and entered the main area of the

  greenhouse. Two long tables, littered with pot plants and gardening equipment, ran down the length

  of the room, while the glass roof overhead gave a clear view to the dark sky above.

  Corvo pointed the pistol ahead into the dark room with a firm two-handed grip. "All clear," he final y said quietly over his shoulder.

  They made their way through the room, keeping an eye out for any danger. Luckily, the greenhouse

  appeared to be deserted. Corvo whistled softly and then motioned at the door on the far side of the

  room. Samantha started to make her way toward it, but stopped when she heard something.

  A low growl.

  She froze and looked around the room, but could not see anything dangerous. Had the sound come

  from overhead? Her gaze shot up at that notion, but she could only see the dark cloudy sky through

  the glass roof.

  "Did you hear that?" Markus whispered from the side, to which she nervously nodded her head.

  "Come on!" Corvo hissed from the far door.

  "We heard something just now," the former business man replied, causing the others to turn.

  "Where?"

  "I'm not sure..."

  There was a moment of silence as they listened for any more sounds. Samantha gripped her tiny

  flip-knife tightly. She knew that it would hardly do much to protect her, but she still felt less naked

  with it.

  "…Hm, if there are Infected out there, they could be anywhere," Corvo mused. "Perhaps we should hole up in the back room? Maybe we could wait it out another day."

  "We can't stay up here forever," Samantha said quietly. When she noticed that everyone was looking

  at her, she continued, "If we take too long, the army might be gone by the time we get to the airport."

  "I'm with Samantha on this one," Jacob grunted, pushing open the exit door. "We're on the clock."

  "Okay, but stay sharp," Corvo murmured, fol owing the burly biker as he led the way out onto the

  rooftop.

  Samantha's heart skipped a beat as she looked around and saw the extent of the destruction to the

  district brought about by the fire. It was almost as if the sky was basked in a glow of orange-red.

  "Stay close," the war veteran said quietly, ushering them forward. "We'l make our way across these rooftops."

  As he went to join the others, Markus stole a glance back at the greenhouse they had just left. As he

  did, he froze in horror. There, perched on the edge of the greenhouse roof, silhouetted by the dark

  orange-blue clouds of smoke behind them, were three shadowy figures, hunched over on al fours.

  Despite the darkness, he could still discern the hoods covering their faces, the wicked-looking claws,

  the powerful, muscular back legs.

  "Look out! Leapers!" he cried, running forward.

  A terrible, otherworldly scream split the air.

  Chapter 42

  An ear-shattering shriek rent the air as one of the Leapers pounced off the greenhouse roof,

  launching itself at Markus, who cried out in shock and threw himself to the ground, ducking under the

  blow. The predator's scream of rage turned to one of surprise as it completely overshot the roof and

  disappeared over the edge.

  Quick as a flash, Corvo whipped up the pistol and fired off three shots at the other two Leapers, but

  they ducked out of sight. "Get your ass up! We gotta move!"

  Jacob had already vaulted over the edge and dropped down to a lower part of the roof. "Come on!"

  he yel ed.

  The others quickly joined him, and then they were off, running for their lives across the rooftop. A

  shriek tore out from behind them, and Samantha glanced back to see one of the Leapers drop down

  to their level, almost immediately followed by the other. The group kept on running, vaulting over any

  handrails or air-conditioning units that got in their way. There was no time to run around them.

  "Make for the next rooftop!" Corvo ordered. "We're gonna have to jump for it!"

  "Are you serious?" Markus could not help but yel .

  A hungry growl to Jaco
b' left caught his attention, and he looked over to see the first Leaper – the

  one that had flown over the edge – running alongside them. "Corvo!" he shouted, pointing.

  The older man raised his pistol arm and fired passing shots at the Leaper as he ran. It howled in

  fright and leapt away to the left to get out of his line of fire.

  The edge of the rooftop came up abruptly. Without a second thought, Jacob put on a burst of speed

  and jumped across the gap to the next rooftop, feeling the adrenaline surge through him as he

  soared over an alleyway far below. As soon as he landed on his feet, he tucked into a rol and let his

  body absorb the impact of the landing. However, when the burly man rose to his feet, he saw the

  ever-persistent first Leaper rushing at him, its claws poised to strike.

  "Shit!" he cried, swinging his crowbar down at the creature's head.

  Its left hand grabbed the weapon, stopping it in mid-swing. Its other claw then viscously raked across Jacob' chest, sending him flying backward through the air and the crowbar clattering away along the

  roof. The biker landed painfully on his side and slid several feet, gasping as the wind was knocked

  from him. He looked up to see the Leaper crouched down, with both claws spread wide as it

  prepared to pounce.

  At that moment, Corvo landed between them, levelled the pistol with the creature's face and fired

  twice at point-blank range.

  "I owe you one, old man," Jacob grunted, climbing to his feet as Samantha and Markus jumped over

  the gap to join them on the next roof.

  "How's your chest?" the war veteran inquired as he reloaded.

  "Fine – it just nicked me."

  A loud howl from behind spurred everyone back into action, taking off across the roof. They vaulted

  over obstacles and jumped over skylights as though they were running a deadly Parkour course.

  The two remaining Leapers in pursuit screamed in frustration – the scattering of railings, low roofs

  and skylights prevented a clear shot at their prey, and they were forced to navigate the obstacles on

  foot.

  "What the hel – " Markus panted, "– are we gonna do? We can't keep running forever!"

  "We have to find somewhere secure!" Samantha shouted as she vaulted over a handrail.