Further ahead in the tunnel Smith and Jones were exhausted but after hearing the commotion behind them kept at the blockage. After digging frantically they had managed to clear a gap between the thick, sinews of the tree that was about a foot across. It wasn’t enough for them but it was big enough for a child. Whilst Jones kept working, Smith called the girls over.
“You need to crawl through and wait at the other side. Understood?”
Adrienne nodded, saying nothing. Madeleine now covered in mud and filth was barely recognisable, put her hand on Smith’s arm.
“We’ll wait on the other side. Don’t take too long.”
She forced a smile that in the poor light was almost impossible to make out. With a helping hand Smith helped pushed Adrienne into the gap first. He could hear the sounds of the fight behind him and he knew this was the breaking point. Either they got out soon or they would die down here. It took a while for Adrienne to make her way through but after a lot of kicking and swearing she made it. Smith passed one of the flaming torches through to her, lighting the way ahead. He called to her.
“Can you see anything? What’s the tunnel like?”
Adrienne held up the torch and examined the tunnel. It was still in poor condition but she was certain she could see a glimmer of light out into the distance, veering off to the right. She turned back, speaking quickly to Smith.
“There is light at the end but the tunnel is full of water, about a metre deep.”
Smith whispered back, “Wait for us, help Madeleine though.”
The gap was now bigger and this time they were able to get the second girl through much more quickly. Behind them the tunnel had turned into a battleground. Unlike the fight in the church though, this one was a fight of fists, bayonets and rifle butts. Smith had no idea how many of them were alive but he did know they needed to get out and as quickly as possible. Behind them a powerful shockwave shook the tunnel, knocking several of them to the floor. One of the men must have used a grenade. The blast send dust and mud through the tunnel, completely obliterating any chance of seeing what was going on.
Jones grabbed Smith, shouting into his ear.
“I think we can get through, come on!”
Being as neither man could see what was happening they shouted to whoever was left and then dragged themselves through the roots and to the other side where the two girls were waiting. Luckily the thickness of the root and dirt had stopped most of the dust and dirt coming through and from there they had a reasonably clear view to the light in the distance.
A hand punched through the roots, quickly followed by the now familiar face of Captain Scott. The two sergeants grabbed his arms and pulled him through. The officer fell to the ground, landing in the filthy water before being able to right himself, gasping for air. The sound of the struggle continued behind them and Smith, desperate to get as many of them free as possible made to climb back through. Jones stopped him and before he could argue another set of arms appeared. This time however, the person trying to get through was one of the undead. Its face dripped blood and it had obviously just been chewing on flesh. Smith’s heart sank as he realised that this must mean that their small group of five were the only ones to make it. They all moved back, keeping away from the roots and the creature trying to climb through when an object appeared out of its forehead. Captain Scott squinted at it, confused by the protrusion until he realised it was a metal spike. With a squelch the point disappeared and the body pulled back though the roots. Smith closed in, pushing his arm through the hole and found it grabbed by several people. He held and pulled as hard as he could. The first one to come through was Harris.
* * *
Steiner had so far managed to clear an exit from the small shelter so they would be able to drive away in the truck. The real problem though, was that the battery on the truck had been damaged at some point and was not providing enough power to start the vehicle. Luckily the parts on the floor from the Kubelwagen included a battery. All that remained was for him to move it to the truck and then get it started, assuming the battery worked. Working quickly he cut the thick cables on the truck, revealing the wire. Lifting the heavy battery he moved it up to the truck and placed it on top of the existing battery. He didn’t have time to physically replace the old battery, he simply tied it down, it should be good enough to get them away from this place. With the stripped cables prepared he wrapped them around the battery terminals, double-checking he had them the right way. There were a few sparks as the cable touched the battery. He allowed himself a moment of relief. A spark meant power. That was a damned good start. Closing the bonnet and clearing off the rest of the canvas sheets the truck was clear and ready to go. He lifted himself up into the cab and placed his sword and shotgun onto the seat beside him. Whispering a quiet prayer he hit the buttons to start the truck. With a shudder the motor started to whine, the battery forcing it to turn. The engine stayed silent. He stopped for a moment and then tried again, the motor turning over slowly until it spluttered, caught and then died gain. Already Steiner could feel the battery was near its end, he had probably another one or two attempts and the battery would be useless. Trying again the engine coughed and then expelled a huge pile of white smoke. Steiner kept his foot depressed slightly on the accelerator, making sure the engine didn’t stall. Checking the side mirrors it all looked clear. He pushed down the clutch, timing the sound of the engine carefully and then double clutched the system, locking in the first gear. With a crunch the truck was ready to go.
Steiner whistled up to the house but it was unnecessary. The two men were already lowering themselves from the roof, ready to drop onto the truck as he left. Revving the engine he pulled out from the cover and onto the gravel yard. Pulling down hard on the wheel he turned to the right, swinging the vehicle out and alongside the house. The two men dropped down, landing somewhere in the bay of the truck. As Steiner moved his foot to hit the accelerator the passenger side window shattered, revealing two of the creatures trying to climb in. Leaning to his right he grabbed the shotgun, swung it around and placed the muzzle on one of the undead’s head. Pulling the trigger he sent a shell’s worth of lead into its skull, literally exploding the monster. As it flew back it knocked the second one down with it. Dropping the shotgun Steiner floored the pedal and with a squealing sound the heavy truck trundled off.
* * *
Sergeant Smith and Captain Scott were the first to leave the tunnel. The exit was a grate in the ceiling that was easily moved and led to a low drainage ditch near a storage shed. The two men helped out the survivors, now much depleted from the battle underground. Of the thirteen that left the church only seven remained. Smith and Scott were now unarmed whilst Trent and Harris still carried their rifles. Jones helped the two girls, both of whom were so exhausted they could now barely move. They had no idea what had happened to Archer and the rest, they could only hope they had found another way out. As the filthy group sheltered in the ditch the sound of the creatures in the tunnel became louder. Trent, rummaging in his pockets kept checking for something, after a couple of seconds he found it and threw it over to Smith. It was the last of the grenades. Without pausing he pulled the pin and rolled it inside the tunnel. Moving back the explosion shook the ground and collapsed the tunnel.