The riflemen’s last shots rang out before me. The field was now eerily quiet as all the men loaded new stripper clips and I continued to fight with the Gatling magazine. Finally in a fit of anger I kicked the damned thing with my boot and knocked it loose. Wrenching it from the gun I took hold of the second and last magazine and slotted it on to the gun, we were back in business!
Rifle bolts locked as the men again shouldered their weapons, but before they could fire I had the crank in motion and the Gatling once again spurted out what was music to our ears. The rifles beside me rang out in sequence. The beasts were now just fifty yards away, daunting, but making our weapons that much more effective. There were now perhaps just three dozen creatures left and our guns were yet again running dry.
A head exploded as the last bullets of the Gatling rang out and the men fired off the last rounds in their rifles, we had done fine work, perhaps enough to facilitate our survival at close quarters. Seeing Holmes’ shotgun lying on the floor nearby I jumped from the Gatling position to take it in hand. It was heavy for a shotgun, but what a fine piece of engineering. I took a few paces closer to our advancing foe and then fired, hitting just off centre of the left eye of the closest creature, the side of its head vanishing from the blast and its eye socket now only half intact, it was done.
Before the beast had even dropped to the ground I was racking the pump action of the gun and fired as quickly as it was ready. The second shot hit the windpipe of a zombi, blowing out its thorax, it was as good as a decapitation. I racked and fired repeatedly with devastating effect upon my enemies at such a short range. Gore and blood was everywhere to be seen and yet more came at us. Holmes’ Webley rang out, riddling their right flank with bullets. As he emptied his first Webley he dropped it immediately to the floor and drew the second one from his belt.
“Charge!” shouted Holmes.
I quickly drew one of the Adams guns from its holster to my left hand and sabre in the right. The soldiers who had been waiting at port with their bayoneted weapons now edged forward at a steady pace with Holmes slightly ahead of them on the flank. Bayonets ran into the bodies of the oncoming zombis, a mistake that was only the result of their disciplined military training. The first man to have lunged his bayonet through a zombi was immediately overcome by the beast running down the length of his weapon and ripping the side of his throat out with its jaw. The other men quickly adapted to the situation, using their blade bayonets to strike down upon the heads or drive the points through eyes sockets.
As I approached the left flank of the enemy I took aim whilst still walking and fired into the face of the closest beast, a perfectly placed shot that sent it keeling over. Without stopping I brought the weight of my sabre to bear upon the neck of the next creature. With the blade imbedded in its collar another reached for my sword arm, but I lay the Adams over my arm and shot through its mouth and again into its left eye. Laying my boot upon my second kill I levered my blade out. A beast took hold of the soldier beside me so I cut downwards upon its arms, removing them from just in front of the elbows. The man quickly smashed his rifle stock in to the beast’s face, caving in the skull.
I looked across our line to see the men fighting with every strength they had. Holmes was hacking his way across the enemy’s flank. For several minutes we hacked, slashed, shot and struck as hard and fast as we could at every beast in sight, until finally the valley lay almost silent, with only the odd moans of incapacitated but still living beasts.
Looking around, two of the soldiers lay dead on the ground. Jacques reached for a stripper clip and quickly locked his rifle shut, putting the barrel to the first fallen man, he pulled the trigger. Strolling over to the second, he again put a bullet through his comrade’s eyes.
“This is out of mercy,” he said.
He was right, becoming a creature such as those was a fate I would not wish of any man, and the risk they presented to the rest of us was equally as important. The rest of the soldiers looked at him, shocked and in horror, but not confronting him, they were quickly learning the state of affairs.
Each of the men reached around for more ammunition, now truly appreciating their rifles more than any other item in the world. Looking out across the road at the carnage we had created, it was a devilish sight, two hundred yards of blood and devastation. Had we just killed people that could have been saved from this horrible curse? We may never know, but it was a moot point, for we must survive, and they were a barrier to that purpose.
“Finish off any that are still living, but conserve your ammunition,” said Holmes.
Walking among the dead and dying was not a new experience to me, but doing so to finish off survivors was wholly unsettling. The men spread out, five yards between each, and scoured the bodies for survivors. A matter of minutes later, all were silenced by steel. The group strolled back to the carts, shoulders were low, morale was low but unwavering, as all knew that only two options were present, fight or die.
“What now?” asked Jacques.
“We must move on to Meirengen,” replied Holmes.
“But what of Interlaken and the school?”
“We would never have left by choice, but continuing on is likely the only way this horrible war can be brought to a close,” replied Holmes.
“And what if you end it, what good will that be if so few survive to see it?”
It was a good point, and I know Holmes shared my feelings for the men that we had left behind. We had no way of telling if they even survived, but knowing the capabilities of those brave few, my heart told me they fought and lived on.
“What do you suggest?” asked Holmes.
“The road is cleared, you have a path to Meirengen, and we have a responsibility to our town,” Jacques replied.
“To divide our forces in a time like this is not a wise decision,” replied Holmes.
“Let us not forget our humanity now when faced with such horrors, it is what makes us strong,” I said.
Silence again fell upon the area whilst Holmes pondered the situation. It was clear that these men had the greatest respect for us, and would likely follow us if we required it, but their hearts were not in our mission, but of their home town.
“Very well, then please send my regards to the defenders of the school. If you can make it out alive, we are heading to Meirengen, I hope to see you there in the coming days, good luck.”
Holmes offered out his hand to Jacques, who gladly accepted it. This was an honourable man, one who had done us a good turn, and we had been able to help in doing so, a good ally. It was not a comforting thought to part with well equipped and capable fighters at a time like this, but it was necessary to maintain the sanity of all. The men began climbing onto the wagons and simply left the Gatling where is stood, amongst the trail of bodies.
“Good luck to you, gentleman, and thank you.”
We nodded in acknowledgement to our new found friend, both thankful of the mutual assistance we were able to provide. We walked back over to the site of the carnage to salvage what we could. Holmes picked up his Webley and stood reloading it. My rifle was still on the ground at the previous position that we had found the Gatling, it was evident I needed more ammunition for it. Walking over to the bodies of the two fallen soldiers where we had fought in close combat, I took what I could in ammunition from their shoulder bags.
I could see the gleam of Holmes’ shotgun between the bodies of two of the dead, we would be needing that. Strolling over to where it lay I leant down to pick it up. Without warning one of the bodies next to me turned over and pulled at my arm, taking me off my feet. I was now flat on the floor trying to keep him at arm’s length. With all my strength I held him back with my left arm, reaching for my second Adams. I drew the gun, and with the creature outreached, put the barrel under the chin and squeezed the trigger. The powerful round shot through the entire skull and set blood spurting upwards. Throwing the body aside, Holmes offered me his hand.