Part 13 (1/2)

Roger reached out and grabbed Guillermo by the shoulder and pulled him back. He then pulled his rifle up to his shoulder and fired into the crowd. Deacon's Remington blasted a rain of lead into the horde as well while Jonathan finished off the last few fiends coming down the stairs behind them.

As the shooting stopped, Roger turned to Guillermo and said, ”Thanks, but you shouldn't risk your life for mine. Are you alright?” Roger's expression remained blank, yet there was a hint of concern in his voice.

”Yeah, I'm good. Every life is worth fighting for.” Guillermo was doubled over and out of breath, yet he maintained eye contact with Roger. These words seemed to have some meaning for the man as he nodded to Guillermo.

”One more floor guys. Then we run through the building and to the car,” Jonathan said.

They stepped down onto the landing in front of the door to the main lobby. The sun was high overhead, providing enough light to see around the large main floor. The number of fiends was frightening, making the relatively short distance to the car seem like miles. The five of them stood silent in the stairwell. Jonathan planned their move.

”I count twenty-three. Each of us is reloaded and ready. We are not going to make it through without alerting them, anyway. My plan, if you are all interested, is to shoot our way out-pretty similar to how it has been going for us so far, now that I think about it. We can take them quickly, make our way to the car, and get home in one piece.” Jonathan looked from Guillermo, to Roger, then to Shane, and finally to Deacon. Each one nodded his approval.

”Wait. Why haven't they been attracted to the noise we've been making?” Roger asked.

”It has to be Sam. He has some strange amount of control over them. I would like to capture him.” Jonathan noticed that all eyes were on him as he said that, and n.o.body was happy to hear that. ”Not right now, of course, but he does needs to be studied,” he added quickly.

Jonathan checked both of his Sringfields, then stepped backwards, pus.h.i.+ng the door open. Guillermo moved out past him, followed by Deacon and Shane. Roger patted Jonathan on the shoulder, and push him firmly ahead. The noise was deafening. On top of that, Jonathan found it also disorienting. They fired off rounds as they walked toward the large door, only shooting at the fiends closest to them for a better chance of accurately hitting their targets.

Sam's shriek startled the group as it split through the gunfire as he launched himself through the air toward the group. No one knew where he came from, but he was here now and ready to kill. His leg strength was amazing as they propelled his body through the air. He was small, yet n.o.body doubted he was the most dangerous. The fiends that occupied the lobby had stopped advancing on them and moved back away.

Jonathan fell to the ground with Sam on top of him. He kicked and punched at the small but powerful boy in an attempt to keep from being ripped apart. Despite Sam being very light, he was strong. The boy was so thin that not only were his ribs visible, but also his spine, hip bones, and shoulder blades.

Shane instinctively dropped to the three-point stance he used for football and drove his right shoulder into the boy's side. The sound of his ribs snapping was sickening. Sam rolled twice and slide across the smooth floor for a few more feet before regaining his footing.

Jonathan was able to fire a shot into Sam's skull. Blood and brains erupted from the back of the boy's head, but Sam looked down at Jonathan and let out another loud shriek. Broken ribs protruded from the boy's side where Shane had slammed into him. Jonathan was unable to move from the ground. He was perplexed by Sam, and how he seemed unaffected by the shot to the head.

Deacon pulled the axe out from the strap on his pack and swung it down toward Sam, who slid back before taking the axe to his chest. The axe came down in time to cleave through his s.h.i.+n bone and down into the top of the boy's foot, exiting through the heel.

”That looks painful,” Guillermo stated as he looked down at the foot which was split in half before returning his gaze to the fiends that had moved away from the fight.

”I've never seen one take a point-blank shot to the head and keep going before,” Deacon said, more concerned with hoping there was a way to put this boy down. He took a second to take a few shots at the fiends that stood across the room, dropping a couple of them.

Sam rolled onto his stomach and lifted himself up on his hands and knees. He crawled slowly to his left, circling around the group. His movement was unnatural and twisted. Sam's legs snapped up over his arms before his feet touched the ground. The rigid vertebrae in his back stood out grotesquely. His neck bent so the back of his head touched his shoulder blades as he watched the group. The marble floor was covered in the remains of the horde that had moments ago occupied the lobby.

”Do you have a plan for this?” Deacon whispered.

”Not at all. By the research I have done, this boy should be among the body parts scattered about the room here. Perhaps being directly injected with the chemical that caused this infection had some kind of super natural effects on his body. Sort of like the chemical was able to directly attach to the cells throughout his entire body, not just his brain and muscles. That is just a hypothesis, though,” Jonathan whispered in response as they slowly rotated to keep Sam in front of them.

”So they are like vampires? Maybe each generation gets weaker, and this one is like Dracula or something. The ones bitten directly by him are stronger than the ones they bite and so on,” Roger said.

Jonathan contemplated this idea for a second as he found it to be rather interesting. It seemed odd to hear Roger talk about vampires, as he hadn't pegged him for the type that would know anything about them. ”Vampires do not exist,” he finally replied.

”And dead bodies don't get up and kill people,” Roger came back.

”Touche,” Jonathan said after a moment as he accepted his companion's remark.

”Well, here goes nothing,” Deacon declared. He raised his shotgun and pressed the stock firmly into his shoulder.

Sam stopped moving briefly and crouched down low. Deacon fired his shot, standing about seven feet away from Sam, who rolled hard as the lead pellets tore through his torso. Sam leapt high into the air, springing off of the wall and landing on the receptionist's desk. He looked back at the group; most of his small body was shredded. Strips of flesh hung like loose bandages and clumps of blood splattered on the desk and floor.

Noticing that they now had a clear run to the door, Jonathan said, ”We run on three. One...Two...Three.”

The five of them took off running toward the door. Their shoes on the marble floor were the only sounds, as the few remaining fiends continue to stand idle on the side of the large room. Sam let out another horrifying shriek, but instead of coming after them, he disappeared through the door behind the desk.

Before the group could burst through the main entrance, Greg charged at them from the left. The scientist was as short as Jonathan remembered, yet he was far from as weak as his frame suggested. His throat was opened up wide and his right cheek bone had been smashed in. A b.l.o.o.d.y entrance wound marred the far left side of his forehead. At the correct angle, the bullet would have completely missed the brain, or at the very least it would have only hit the small portion of it that would have been unnecessary for him to survive this way.

Greg took hold of Shane by the back of his neck with his powerful left hand. Before anyone had the chance to react, he grabbed the young man's hair with his equally strong right hand and ripped a large chunk of his scalp away. The blood on Shane's skull glistened in the sun's taunting radiance. His screams pierced through Jonathan's heart like a dull serrated knife.

Roger drove the spike of Dead Breaker hard into the back of Greg's shoulder, who dropped Shane to the ground. Before turning to Roger, the dead man stomped hard on the back of Shane's head. The young man's face shattered under the force, ending his torment and spraying blood like a water balloon bursting against the floor.

Deacon and Jonathan couldn't risk firing at Greg. Roger was too close to the grotesque dead man, and a stray bullet could cause the death of another survivor. Guillermo stepped up, however, and took a swing with his blade.

The blade cut deep through Greg's back, severing his spine. The fiend leaned forward slightly, but he remained standing. He let out a low moan and reached for Roger. The gray skin on his hands was loose around the bones.

Roger brought his club up into the bottom of Greg's head. The sharpened bar drove through the bottom of the dead man's chin and up into the roof of his mouth. With a hard pull, Roger removed the spike, along with Greg's lower jaw.

Greg let out another moan and tipped his head back. His stomach contents poured from the hole in his throat and his open mouth onto Roger. The vile mixture of chunky dried blood, bits of flesh, and thickened stomach acid caused Roger to step back and vomit as well. The stench filled the large room, making it hard for the others to breathe.

While Greg continued to empty his stomach onto the floor where Roger once stood, Guillermo took one last swing into the dead man's neck. What remained of his head dropped. The thick liquid continued to spew from the neck like a geyser, spraying five feet in the air, and running down Greg's body until he collapsed.

n.o.body spoke as Roger walked toward the door to exit the building. He shed his clothing as he went, wiping himself off with the few clean spots he could find on his s.h.i.+rt. Completely naked, he stepped out into the warm sun, set the gym bag down, grabbed two bottles of water, and dumped them over his body. After drying himself off with the gym towel, he put on the set of extra clothes that were in the bag.

Everyone else stopped as the fresh air filled their lungs. The smell of wild flowers was a welcome scent. They remained silent despite their joy at being alive and out of that h.e.l.lish place. A young man had lost his life in there, and none of them had been able to help. Seeing Shane's terrible death made Jonathan feel sick to his stomach.

Jonathan walked over to the edge of the parking lot and out into the tall gra.s.s and weeds. He picked a handful of the yellow California Poppies that grew wildly in the area, carried them up to the building, and left them for Shane. Looking through the doors as he stood, he saw Sam standing in the center of the room. Turning his back to the building, Jonathan walked to the BMW and climbed into the pa.s.senger seat.

After everyone had climbed into the car all four of the windows came down. ”You should probably ride on the top,” Deacon said to Roger. ”You stink.”

Roger cracked a smile, but no one noticed. ”Just drive the car.”

The BCRC lab disappeared into the hills as they drove away. They knew that there was no way they could tell the girls about Shane. His life, along with so many others, would become one of the many forgotten memories that made up the present world. Even though many people and memories were now gone, Jonathan knew that their sacrifices would carry on.

Chapter 20.

Emalynn stood on the ladder that was propped up on the wall, eagerly awaiting their return. The town had been empty since the guys left. Many of the fiends had followed the BMW for at least for a few blocks. Although she knew that the guys would not be back soon, Emalynn stood watching for most of the day.

She watched as the sun rose high up over the hills. The fireball gave off its warmth, and it felt great on Emalynn's skin. Thoughts of throwing tomatoes at fiends with Tyson filled her head as she watched several of them move about in the streets. It took several attempts before they hit the fiend that day. The memory brought a smile to her face.

Tyson had been the first to hit him, she remembered. The tomato exploded as it hit the dead man's shoulder, covering the side of his face. They laughed so hard as the fiend tried to figure out what happened. Emalynn couldn't help but think about running in and grabbing a few tomatoes now to throw at the fiends that walked by.

Sophia spent the entire morning worrying, not only for Deacon, but for the others as well. She did a great job of hiding it around the twins, though. She played games and watched movies with them. It made her feel great to be caring for such wonderful children. On the other hand, she felt awful knowing that in this world she would not have children of her own to care for. Deacon would not become the amazing father she knew he would be. It would be too dangerous to even try.