Jack looked at Dee, then back to the woman. “Who are you?”
“I could ask you the same thing?”
“American?”
“Yes.”
Jack shook his head. What the hell is an American doing here? “We don’t have time for this. Dee. Do it.”
“Wait!” The woman held up her other hand. “I’m not one of them. I just killed those bastards. I’m here for the kids, all right?”
Jack watched as Dee lowered her rifle. “Maggie?”
“Yes. Wait. How did you know? Alice?”
Dee nodded her head. “She’s safe, and the kids.”
“Oh, thank God. I guess you’re here for the kids too, right?”
Jack butted in. “Yes. Let’s go. There’s always more of those bastards.”
Maggie and Dee nodded. Howls and shrieks reached them from farther down the corridor. Jack took a deep breath. It was time. Time to end this. Time for the final battle. He leant down and wiped the black gunk off his knife. Shouldering his rifle, he jogged down the corridor. Towards the horrors of the throne room.
TWENTY-NINE
Dee jogged a few paces behind Jack, with Maggie running alongside. The bodies that once lined these walls had gone, but the stench of their deaths still lingered in the air. The last time Dee had run down this corridor, she had been searching for Jack. She had promised herself to come back and help these people, but the Army had refused her request. Seeing the vacant spots fed her guilt. She was determined to make up for that failing and rescue the boys. Deep down, Dee wanted to kill the Trophy King too. It was the only way to end this properly. He had shown that he didn’t forget by attacking the island, and by kidnapping Boss and George he had let them know that he was king. The apex predator. Thinking of the boys, she grimaced. Not if I can help it.
Dee could hear the rattle of Ben’s rifle and the boom of Eric’s shotgun coming from behind the green door. She clicked the talk button on her two-way. “Captain. We’re in position.”
“Get your arses in here. Now!”
Dee exchanged a look with Jack and Maggie. She saw their determination. All right, Trophy King, I’m here.
Jack reached the door and gripped its handle. Dee swung her rifle up and nodded, meeting his gaze. In that brief second, she saw the love and admiration he had for her. It was all the encouragement she needed to carry on with the mission. Gritting her teeth, she moved through the open door, looking over the rifle’s sight.
Dee gasped at the scene greeting her. A dozen Variants had grouped together under and around the metal stairs opposite her position. Ben and Eric stood on the metal landing above, firing down into the group of snarling beasts. Each blast of Eric’s shotgun sent Variant gore spraying into the air. The Variants he was hitting merely shrugged off the rounds, rising and crawling over the bodies of their fallen kin. Their shrieks and howls filled the cavernous room.
Ben fired controlled, expert shots from his carbine, hitting the Variants in their heads. Gaping holes opened up in the deformed heads as they crumpled to the ground. Dee stood transfixed, watching the old soldier kill the hideous beasts with ruthless efficiency.
The Trophy King stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by a guard of larger Variants. Against the far wall was the prone figure of Beth, slumped against a rack of bones. Dee prayed that she was alive. Frantic, she searched for the boys. Jack nudged her arm and nodded his head at the box at the Alpha’s feet.
Adrenalin surged through her veins as she recognised the figures of Boss and George, huddled in the cage. Dee squeezed her eyes shut, wanting to block the image out. The stench of death was suffocating. Maggie brushed past her, firing into the mass of monsters. Dee snapped back to the battle and screamed at the Trophy King. All the motherly instincts buried deep down inside her, all her anger and frustration, came out in one long scream.
Dee raised her rifle and let loose at the Trophy King. The bullets bounced off his thick bark-like skin. He looked up at Dee and bellowed. She swore he was grinning at her. A few Variants scampered around the room, running towards them.
Dee reached into her vest and grabbed a couple of grenades. She waited until the Variants were beneath her before dropping them.
“Grenade!”
She yelled more for the boys’ sake, hoping they heard. She pulled Jack and Maggie back through the door and slammed it shut. The exploding grenades shook the metal stairs. Variant screams mixed with the constant sound of gunfire. Smoke and concrete dust hung in the air, causing her to cough.
Dee reached over and grasped Jack’s arm; he looked back at her. She didn’t speak. He knew what she was thinking. She turned to Maggie. “I’m going for the boys and Beth. You two, cover me. If you can keep those big bastards off me, I think I can get them out.”
“Gotcha. Give him hell,” said Maggie.
Dee raised her rifle, flung the door open, and ran down the stairs, firing at the Alpha as she went. Jack and Maggie added to her barrage. The Trophy King swatted at the bullets as if they were pesky mosquitos.
Dee skirted around the side of the room. She risked a quick glance to see Ben’s progress. He was sweeping his rifle back and forth, mowing down any Variant that happened to be within range. Their numbers were dwindling. She estimated about twenty Variants remained, including the Alpha and his guard. Her radio squawked.
“Keep firing, Renegades. Jack, Dee, get the kids!” yelled Ben.
Dee quickened her pace, pumping her legs. She sighted a Variant over her AR-15 and squeezed the trigger. The bullet entered its neck, spraying her with black, putrid smelling blood. The scent of rotten fruit almost overwhelmed her. The beast tumbled and fell at her feet. It looked up at her, pure hatred in its eyes, and clawed at her legs. Dee unsheathed her knife and rammed it into the Variant’s deformed skull. The knife grated on the bone before entering its brain, killing it. She scanned her immediate vicinity, looking for targets. Seeing no more, she ran the last few metres to Beth.
Dee checked the girl’s pulse. Her heart leapt. Weak, but present. It was then that she realised: the poor girl had been crucified. The depravity of it sickened her. With a silent apology, she yanked Beth off the cross and flung her across her shoulders in a fireman’s carry. Grunting with the effort, she struggled back to the stairs.
Jack had made it to the floor and continued to fire at the Alpha and his guards. He stopped firing to take Beth from Dee.
Dee pivoted around and fired her penultimate magazine at the Alpha. He bellowed at the barrage of metal.
Her two-way squawked, and Ben’s voice rang out. “Keep firing, I’m going for the boys.”
She looked over, and watched as Ben and Eric descended, firing as they went.
Dee concentrated on covering them. The Alpha bounded towards her and, bellowing, swung a huge claw at her. She spun to one side, but his claw gouged her shoulder. Dee winced at the pain. She ducked from his follow up, slipped on some intestines, and skidded. As she slid, she fired up at the Trophy King, hitting him in the groin. She saw his eyes go wide, and realised that her bullets had hit a weak spot. She peered closer. She could see patches of pink skin on his inner thighs and at the bottom of his stomach.
The Trophy King bellowed a deep, angry roar and swung out another huge claw. Dee rolled away, avoiding certain death. The Alpha caught her rifle and it slipped from her grasp.
“Dee!” Jack yelled, concern evident in his voice.
She didn’t look at him. The Trophy King turned towards her and snarled, flashing his sucker mouth filled with teeth. The grotesque heads mounted on his shoulders jiggled. Dee let out a breath. She reached back and drew her Katana.