“Lets go,” John shouted up to her.
Jimmy and Suzie made it to the bottom where John put Jimmy in the cab of the truck and Suzie in the back. Derek climbed up into the bed and braced himself against the roof of the cab.
Amy burst out of the lighthouse and ran to the truck.
“There coming,” Amy said pointing to the street.
The demons on the beach reached the lighthouse grounds and were coming through the dunes. Their screams alerting Derek to their presence. He leveled the M-16 in their direction and opened fire. One fell to the ground as the others seemed to leap forward with more speed than before and race toward them.
Amy jumped in the truck as John started the engine and headed up the drive and out to the road.
Derek fired three shots dropping the closest demon in the grass. The others continued forward. Suzie, barking furiously, leapt from the bed of the truck and took off after them. Derek carefully sighted in and dropped another demon with one shot. Suzie ran past it and charged into the group of pursuing zombies.
John picked up speed and headed straight for the mob coming down the middle of the road. Derek turned his attention to the front and fired into the crowd as the truck closed in on them. He hit two of the demons but the third dove into the bushes by the side of the road.
“Hold on,” John screamed.
Amy and Jimmy instinctively ducked. Derek took two more shots then laid low in the bed as the truck plowed through the zombies.
Some were knocked to the side while others disappeared under the truck as it sped through them like a bowling ball. A demon came over the hood and bounced off the windshield. Derek was thrown into the air as the truck went over several of the bodies then landed hard on the bed bumping his head in the process. Dazed and with a knot rising on his head, he rose and looked back. He took great pleasure in the carnage he saw in the road. The mangled zombies squirmed on the pavement as others who weren’t hurt as bad tried to get to their feet.
The demon who dove into the bushes emerged and sprinted after the truck. Derek fired four rounds into it and watched as it tumbled to the road head first and flipped several times.
“You gotta love it!” he shouted.
In the cab Amy and Jimmy raised their heads to a blood-spattered windshield. It was cracked but held up well when the zombie flew over the hood and hit it.
Derek stuck his head through the sliding rear window. “Suzie’s gone,” he said, “she jumped out.”
“We have to go back,” Jimmy pleaded. His heart breaking, “please.”
“We can’t,” Derek said shaking his head. “I’m sorry.”
Tears welled up in Jimmy’s eyes as he slid down in the seat. The boat was only a mile away from the lighthouse and they were there quickly. John came upon the dock too fast and locked up the truck’s wheels to stop. Derek launched himself out of the back of the truck and ran to the boat. There were two zombies milling about on the back deck. He shot each one in the face once then climbed onboard, unlocked the cabin and checked the rest of the boat. It was clear.
“Get on the boat,” he told Amy and Jimmy.
They each grabbed a case of MRE’s and climbed over the rail and onto the boat. They threw the boxes into the cabin then climbed up to the bridge.
John and Derek finished loading the water, MRE’s and ammo then Derek raced up the ladder and started the boat. It roared to life on the first turn of the key.
“Hell yeah!” he shouted.
“We’re not out of here yet,” Amy commented.
John untied the front of the boat and pushed it out into the water trying to make it easier to head back out to the harbor. He was in the process of untying the back when Jimmy screamed at the top of his lungs.
“Wait, she’s coming. Suzie’s coming!”
Everyone’s eyes lit up when they saw her. She was half way down the driveway when a demon burst through the gate and sprinted after her. Amy raised the rifle and fired. The demon jerked to one side but kept coming.
Jimmy ran down the ladder and over to the back of the boat. “Come on girl, run,” he shouted.
Amy fired again missing completely.
Suzie picked up speed when she saw Jimmy, closed the remaining distance quickly and leaped over the back of the boat. Jimmy fell to his knees and put his arms around her. She licked his face then went back to the side of the boat and barked furiously.
John had untied the boat and was holding onto the rope to keep it near the dock. When he heard the last shot and saw the demon still coming he let go of the rope and pulled the hand gun from his waistband. He opened fire at the same instance Derek opened up with the M-16. Both men emptied their weapons into the beast. It shuddered and flailed it’s arms with each impact finally falling to its knees and then going face first into the asphalt.
Jimmy jumped over to the dock and grabbed the rope keeping the boat from drifting further away.
“Jimmy get your butt back on this boat right now,” Amy shouted.
Jimmy ignored her. “I’ve got it,” he told John who hadn’t noticed he was there.
“Thanks buddy,” John said putting another clip into the pistol.
Derek watched as a swarm of zombies came through the gate and rushed the dock.
John calmly raised the handgun and emptied it at the mob while screaming for Jimmy to climb back on the boat. Once the gun was empty John tossed the rope back onboard, leaped over the side and told Jimmy to take Suzie inside.
“Let’s go,” he screamed to Derek.
Derek pushed the throttle forward and the boat moved out into the center of the inlet and headed for the harbor. They watched as the zombies reached the dock and stumbled off into the water one after the other trying to follow. The sight was comical to John who started laughing and couldn’t stop.
“They look like the keystone cops,” he laughed, “zombie style.”
Everyone laughed.
“How can we laugh at a time like this?” Amy said chuckling.
“It’s laugh or cry,” John said laughing so hard his side hurt.
After the brief distraction John and Amy climbed down and pushed the bodies of the two once again dead zombies over the side. The sun slipped below the horizon as they reached the mouth of the inlet.
John looked back at the lighthouse. A place that only a couple of days ago he looked upon as their lifeboat of sorts. And, maybe it was after all he thought. Who knows, had they not been at the lighthouse, and had access to a more powerful radio, they may never have heard the radio signal. All he knew now was that nowhere was safe on land. They climbed up to the bridge to talk to Derek.
“I think we should leave tonight,” John said matter-of-factly. “The chopper’s fuel tanks were full. We can make it to the ship with plenty to spare.”
“But it’ll be dark John,” Amy said, “what if we can’t see the carrier?”
“Amy, the helicopter has state of the art communication equipment. We should be able to communicate with them,” he said. “Coming in at night may be the best thing anyway. The world is blacked out remember. A lit up aircraft carrier will stand out like Las Vegas from the air. We’ll be able to see it for miles.”
“But, what if we don’t find it?” Derek asked, “what if we can’t communicate with them?”
“Then we’ll park it on the beach in a remote, sparsely populated area and wait. A helicopter sitting on the beach by itself will be sure to draw the attention of the rescue pilots.”
“I just don’t have a good feeling about it,” Derek said.
“Derek,” Amy said, “I don’t think we have much choice. We’ve had too many close calls. Sooner or later our luck’s going to run out.”
“Exactly. That’s what I mean,” Derek said.
“Ok, listen. When we get there first of all we have to make sure the area is clear and safe. Once we’re sure we’ll tie up the boat and load our stuff onto the truck. Amy this time you drive. Jimmy and Suzie will be up front with you. Derek and I w
ill be in the back. We may need both us shooting,” John said. “Amy, go down and tell Jimmy what we’re going to do. Tell him to keep Suzie on the leash. She’s his responsibility. Make sure he understands that.”
“I don’t know how to get there.”
“It’s simple you follow the road straight out. After you go through the red light it’s immediately on the left. Can’t miss it.”
“How long will it take us to get back to the dock at the point?” she asked Derek.
“About ten minutes,” he said. Then added. “It’ll be almost dark when we get there. Better grab a flashlight. You too John. We don’t need any delays while you’re trying to get that chopper fired up.”
“Ok, we’ll be ready,” she said climbing down the ladder.
“This is going to get a little hairy I’m afraid,” John said, “we won’t be able to see much.”
“I know,” Derek said.
The boat plowed through the water as the Yorktown grew larger until it loomed ahead of them. It was a magnificent sight John thought. Even in this dim light.
Derek pulled back on the throttles and turned right letting the boat coast into the marina. The gomer’s bucket still sat where it was before but he was nowhere to be seen. John scanned the dock and the area around it with the binoculars. There was no one or no thing nearby. He hoped their friends from the other day were gone. The truck sat on the dock just where they left it.
“Looks good,” he told Derek.
Derek eased the boat into the same berth as before. John jumped over to the dock and tied off. Amy and Jimmy came out of the cabin and stood on the deck.
“You guys wait here for a minute,” John said handing Amy the shotgun, “we’ll get everything loaded.”
Derek and John quickly loaded their things into the back of the truck then called for Amy and Jimmy. They stepped over onto the dock and rushed to the truck. Amy made sure Jimmy was secure and his door locked then climbed in and turned the key. The engine turned over twice slowly then stopped.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she said beating on the dash. “Cross your fingers Jimmy.”
She tried once more and the engine came to life. She revved it several times sending a cloud of smoke out the tail pipe. John and Derek climbed on and took up positions at the back of the cab. Derek on the left and John on the right. John tapped on the rear window. Amy slid it open.
“Hey, don’t forget we’re back here,” he said, “one sharp turn and you could throw us out. So, take it easy.”
Amy nodded in agreement, turned on the headlights and put the truck in gear. “Here we go,” she said then reached over and patted Jimmy and Suzie on the top of the head.
It was almost dark as Amy backed the truck off the dock and pulled onto the road. She turned the high beams on as Derek and John scanned the road ahead. They passed the ball fields on the right and made their way toward the intersection.
Suddenly from the left side of the road something shot out of the brush and ran into the side of the truck before anyone had a chance to react. The driver’s side window shattered sending pieces of glass flying into the cab. Jimmy screamed. Derek lowered the assault rifle and fire three rounds at point blank range into the face of a demon. It fell to the pavement and was crushed by the rear tire.
John stuck his head in the rear window. “You guys ok?”
“We’re fine,” Amy said looking back, “you guys need to get low. We have to go faster.”
John and Derek squatted down in the back as Amy pushed the accelerator to the floor. Another demon shot across in front of them and disappeared behind the trees on the other side.
“Did you see that?” she screamed.
“See what,” John asked.
“Never mind.”
The truck continued on to the intersection where Amy slowed and worked her way through the maze of vehicles. On the other side John looked over at the transmission tower in front of the TV station. It would be tricky flying out of there in the dark he thought. He felt his blood pressure increase just thinking about it.
The truck traveled another hundred yards then turned into the station. Amy pulled up and stopped fifty feet behind the helicopter. The headlights lighting it.
Derek and John jumped out and carried the food and water over and tossed it down on the ground by the aircraft. John hurriedly took the straps off the tail and main rotors, opened the door and put them on the floor by the pilots seat. Sliding the side door open and locking it in place, Derek placed the food and water inside.
He motioned for Amy to bring Jimmy and the dog. She ran around the truck, pulled them out and ushered them into the helicopter. She strapped Jimmy into the jump seat and tied Suzie to it.
John climbed into the pilots seat and powered up the aircraft’s systems as Derek went back to the truck for the ammo.
The engine came to life and within seconds the rotors were turning. Derek tossed the ammo boxes into the helicopter and went back to the truck to make sure they had everything. Amy took a seat beside Jimmy and put her arm around him.
“I’ve never flown before,” he shouted over the engine noise looking terrified.
“Don’t worry, it’ll be fun,” she said smiling.
At the truck Derek took the keys out of the ignition but left the lights on. They lit up the front of the building also and would give John a reference point for take off. He looked up to the left and could barely make out the tower rising one thousand feet into the air. The helicopter pad was only fifty yards from it and one of the three guy wires was directly behind them. The helicopter would have to take off straight up then pivot to the right and go over the three-story building. It would be tricky, John thought.
Just as he turned to go back to the chopper a form rose behind him in the dark. He felt it’s presence and spun around just as the demon lunged at him. He struck it on the side of the head with the butt of the rifle sending it flailing to the ground. Derek fired four shots into the demon as it fell. It hit with a thud and rolled to the side. He fired once more at point blank range into the zombie’s forehead. It went limp and settled to the ground.
Suddenly a scream came from behind the truck then another from the tower until the screams of the demons filled the air around the helicopter. Amy could hear them over the whine of the engines and jumped out to see what was taking Derek so long. She saw him standing over the dead zombie and spinning around trying to spot the demons he knew to be out there.
“Derek,” she screamed, “let’s go!”
As soon as she spoke a figure loomed up behind him unseen to Derek. She ran toward him and shouted.
“Duck,” she screamed as she raised the shotgun.
Derek hit the ground. Amy fired once hitting the demon in the chest and knocking it back, then pumped once and fired again. This time into it’s face. The demon’s head flew apart leaving the headless body to crumple to the ground.
John heard the shots but couldn’t see what was going on. He throttled the engine up and had the rotors rotating almost at take off speed. He could feel the aircraft become lighter on the skids.
Amy and Derek raced for the chopper. John looked to his left to see several demons break cover from the tower and race for them.
“Oh shit!” he said. “Hurry up,” he turned and shouted behind him.
He pushed the window back and emptied the pistol clip at the two charging zombies. Both fell to the ground, one dead, the other still crawling.
He felt a jolt as something hit the left side of the fuselage. The chopper shook. Then he felt a second jolt. He tried to look out the window toward the back but was blinded by the truck lights.
Amy and Derek reached the aircraft and jumped inside. John turned to them and got a thumbs up from Amy.
“Go!” she shouted as she slapped him on the right shoulder.
“What happened,” he shouted back.
“Just fucking go!” she screamed.
John was so startled by her response that he froze.
“John,” she screamed again. “Go!”
John turned the cyclic as the engine screamed louder. The helicopter lifted and was five feet off the ground when it suddenly lurched to the right. Amy slipped and fell. She grabbed the webbing of the jump seat and managed not to fall out the open door. John fought to maintain control as the chopper, still rising, came perilously close to the building. Suzie began to bark, bearing her teeth. Jimmy, who was strapped in, wrapped his arms around her and held on tight to keep her from falling out and being hung by her leash.
Derek, sitting on the deck, had his feet braced against the rear of the doorframe. He looked out to see two demons hanging on the skid. John stabilized the helicopter, rose above the building and turned to go over it. He could feel extra weight on the right side.
Derek fired three rounds from the assault rifle into the closest one. It let go and fell. Landing on the roof of the station. With the clip of the rifle empty he threw it aside and reached for his pistol as the other demon managed to pull itself up and was crawling into the cabin. He fired once, missing, then the gun jammed. Frantically he groped for the rifle to use as a club, but before he could reach it there was a flash of light inside the helicopter. Then he saw Amy lunged forward with a lit flare in her hand. She shoved it into the demon’s mouth and jammed it down his throat. The demon’s eyes grew wilder as it loosened its grip on the doorframe and clutched at it’s throat. Sparks, flames and clouds of swirling yellow sulfur smoke shot from its mouth.
In one swift move Amy reached up, wrapped her fingers around the handle on the ceiling and using the full weight of her body, swung into the demon with all the force she could muster kicking it in the chest with both feet. It was sent flying backwards and out of the helicopter. They watched as the demon descended into the darkness below, the light from the flare tracing it’s path to the ground.
Amy sat back down beside Jimmy and put her arm around him. He was curled up with his legs under him in the jump seat with Suzie held tightly in his arms.
“Hey,” John shouted from the pilots seat, “nice job. You saved our ass.”
The Demon Dead Page 28
