“More!” I yell out, letting off round after round. I’m usually a good shot, but I miss twice in my killing spree, though I send three of them to the ground. “Go back! Get out!” I shoot two more to the ground.
“Go on without me!” Skip yells out. “I’ll hold them off.” He stands, holds up his gun and unloads on the others, infected blood still dripping down his shoulder.
Paxton is the first one out of the sheriff’s office with Mendez close behind him. I make for the door and turn back to see Gabe standing next to Skip, firing away.
“Gabe,” I call out, “we have to get back to the car!”
“I’ll be there in a sec,” he says over his shoulder, a greyskin coming at him too close for comfort.
I hate leaving them in there, but I can hear more greyskins outside. I burst through the door only to hear Paxton yell out “that way!” with a subsequent gunshot from Mendez. Glass shatters as greyskins break through the windows, charging after the gun blasts as though they are a call for dinner.
I take aim at one and pull the trigger, but all that comes is a click. I curse as I throw my backpack and duffel bag to the ground. I reach into the side pocket and start loading the gun. I’m distracted by the number of greyskins all around us, scraping to exit the five buildings. I can’t imagine why there were so many in each of these.
The greyskins start pouring into the streets. One of them sets its eyes on me as I fumble to load my gun. Bullets clank to the ground as I drop them nervously. I can hear its guttural moan. Its grayish skin seems to be falling off its face, its clothes in tatters, its teeth chomping at me as though it can already taste my blood. The bullets are finally in and the greyskin is almost on top of me. I fire it once and the bullet shoots through its neck. No good. I shoot again and this time the bullet goes through the middle of its forehead and it falls to the ground only a foot in front of me. There have to be at least thirty greyskins in the street and now more have trained their eyes on me.
I look ahead to see Paxton and Mendez sprinting for the SUV. They aren’t about to take it and run, are they? I fire a round, a greyskin falls. I shoot again, another falls. But I know I don’t have thirty bullets left. Like an answer to a prayer, Gabe crashes through the door of the sheriff’s office, helping Skip walk with him. When they get near me, Gabe fires into the crowd of greyskins and Skip falls to his knees next to me.
I get a sick feeling in my stomach at the sight of Skip’s injury. No, not injury. More like death sentence. To be bitten is to be killed in a slow and painful way. He seems to be weaponless, and Gabe complains that he’s already down to the last of his bullets.
“There shouldn’t have been that many greyskins in there,” he says as he takes aim at another greyskin.
I don’t know what to think. All I do is keep firing. Firing, firing, firing until I’m completely out of bullets. I’m thankful to see that Paxton and Mendez didn’t completely abandon us, rather they take aim from the safety of the SUV in clear view of us, but then their guns are silent.
“We’re out!” comes the voice of Mendez. A few of the greyskins turn toward him as he yells.
Six are coming toward us, four are going after Paxton and Mendez. Gabe takes down two more greyskins and declares he’s out of ammo too.
“Some planning,” I say to him. “Why didn’t you pack more ammo?”
“There weren’t supposed to be this many!”
I roll my eyes at him. As the greyskins move closer, I know what I’ve got to do. I reach down for my backpack and unzip the top. My hand clasps around the silver handle of the pistol I stole from Paxton.
Nine bullets, eight greyskins. Little room for error.
A sudden surge of confidence washes over me as I stand, proudly declaring that I was the one to break into Headquarters as I lift the gun into the air.
Boom! A greyskin’s head splits open. Boom! Boom! Boom! The shots are so loud, and the recoil is hard, but I don’t miss a single shot. I start walking forward as the greyskins that were headed for Paxton and Mendez suddenly turn toward me. I walk within two feet of them and their heads explode like fruit as I let off two shots.
One bullet left.
I’m left standing in the middle of the street with the others staring at me. Paxton gets out of the SUV, his eyes squinting as he moves forward. I think about it for only a brief second. I’m not sure what his intentions are, but if they are bad, I can end him. All I need is one bullet. He knows the sound, the feel, the weight of this gun. He knows I still have one bullet left. I try not to look him in the eyes as he approaches me, but he doesn’t acknowledge me at all. He watches my eyes until he walks past me, and he ends his walk when he stops in front of Skip.
Gabe looks up at Paxton. “It’s a bite,” he says.
“You know I can’t let you into Crestwood,” Paxton tells Skip.
Skip doesn’t look at him, but nods. “I understand.”
Paxton cracks his neck, looking away from him as though he is contagious simply by looking at him. His eyes fall back on me and he walks to me this time. He reaches out his hand and asks for the gun even though he never opens his mouth. I look down at the ground and hand it to him. I don’t know if he wants to shoot me with it or if he will take me back to Crestwood. There is no way for me to tell. Gun in hand, he walks over to Skip.
“You’ve got about twenty-four hours until the infection kills you,” he says coldly. He hands Skip the gun and Skip takes it, looking at it as though it is the end of him. It is the end of him. “Miss Remi here has stolen this gun from me and left you a bullet. Do with it as you wish. You were a good soldier, Skip.” Paxton turns from him and begins walking back to the SUV. He stops when he nears me and looks deep into my eyes. “I’m not surprised, you know.”
“I know you aren’t,” I say. “I will be on my way. I don’t have to come back with you.”
“You’re coming back,” Paxton says as he walks away from me. I look back at Gabe who is sitting on the ground next to Skip. He shrugs at me and shakes his head.
“What about Skip?” Gabe calls out.
Skip shakes his head. “Leave me here,” he says. “I know what I got to do, I’d rather none of you be here to see it.”
I feel sick on the inside. It’s hard for me to see Paxton act so cold, but I feel just as cold. I don’t want Skip to die, but to me, he’s dead already. Once bitten, you’re gone. There is nothing to be done.
Gabe does his best to console Skip, but Skip actually shoves him away and screams for us to leave. With our heads down, Gabe and I get into the back of the SUV as Mendez drives and Paxton sits up front. I try not to look at Skip as we drive away. I try not to think about what Paxton is going to say to me when we get back — the punishment that I’m going to face. It’s a couple of miles down the road before I hear the noise. It’s too far away for anyone else in the silent car to hear, but I can hear it as clearly as if I am standing right next to him.
Skip pulls the trigger, ending his life before the virus does it to him. It’s the same story I’ve seen too many times. Do I think this world will ever heal?
No.
Healing comes in death alone.
Chapter 10 – Remi
What Paxton calls a holding cell is more like a room with a large, thick door and a padlock on the other side of it to keep in prisoners. Gabe leads me to the room without saying a word. I don’t blame him for not talking. I don’t say anything either. There is nothing to say.