“Guys,” Boss said, turning around. He pointed to the far bank. Dozens of Variants were charging down, screaming and howling at them.
“Keep going, Boss. Get us to the car,” Ben instructed. He reached into his combat vest and slammed in a new magazine.
“Boss?” Jack said.
“Another time, Highlander.” Dee grinned, her eyes twinkling in the afternoon light.
Jack returned the smile.
Boss turned. “Hey. We’ve been waiting for you.”
“You have? Well, I would’ve got here a bit sooner, but I ran into a bit of bother with some locals.”
Jack reached down and ruffled George’s hair. “This little fighter is George. He saved me.”
Dee crouched down to George. “Hey, little guy.”
Jack’s heart skipped a beat when the little red-haired kid wrapped his arms around her. He’d known she would like him. Perhaps, in spite of the apocalypse and the horrors they had faced, he and Dee had found that missing piece.
— 29 —
Jack could hear the howls of more monsters in the distance. Finally the river bank flattened out. Boss turned the boat for shore, heading towards a 4x4 parked under the trees.
Ben turned from scanning the bank with his scope. “All right everyone, stay frosty. We need a quick transition to the 4x4, no dawdling.” He glanced at each of them. “Dee, you drive. I’m going to radio the chopper. With those pursuing Variants, that LZ is going to be hot as hell.”
Jack felt the keel of the boat nudge the bank. He wrapped George in his arms and followed the others into the waiting 4x4. Jack liked this guy, Ben. The waiting vehicle was planned, the boat in the river, everything.
A chopper, coming to get us? To where? Safety?
Jack had so many questions he wanted to ask, but the ever-closer howls and screeches reminded him they had more pressing matters to be concerned about.
The 4x4 tore up the middle of the country road. Glancing in her side mirrors, Dee could see the Variants closing in from the sides and rear. Urging the vehicle faster, she jammed the accelerator to the floor.
“Guys, we got company!”
A couple of Variants sprinted ahead of the chasing pack and slammed into the back of the 4x4, rocking it from side to side. Dee swerved the vehicle, but their claws tore into the metal as they tried to get a purchase.
Dee looked over at Ben. He was filling his combat vest with fresh magazines. She blinked a few times. “What should I do?”
“Just get us to the airfield. We’ll take care of it,” Ben said.
Ben leant out the passenger side window and tried to get a bead on the chasing pack.
Dee could still see the two Variants clinging to the back of the vehicle. “Boss, Jack, see if you can get these bastards off us!”
Jack twisted around in the back seat and saw the two monsters clinging on. One started smashing its head into the rear window. Tiny cracks appeared, spider webbing across the glass. With each bash of the creature’s deformed skull, the cracks grew larger. Jack figured he only had a few seconds to react.
He pushed George down into the footwell. “Cover your ears.”
Jack blasted the headbutting monster. The boom of the shotgun inside the small cabin rattled his brain. Jack shook his head and looked at the shattered window. The monster still clung to the back of the vehicle. Its sucker mouth seemed to be smiling as if mocking him.
It began to crawl in through the now-broken window, howling, its mouth smacking so close Jack could see the rows of tiny sharp teeth. He pulled the trigger again, this time blasting off half its head. The black gunk sprayed all over him.
Jack heard another boom of a shotgun and saw the last one fall onto the road behind them, tumbling over and over before righting itself. It started to chase them again, sprinting down the road in rabid pursuit.
Hell, these things are hard to kill.
Jack crawled into the back. Using the shotgun, he pushed the corpse out. Beyond, he could see hundreds of them chasing, moving in a weird wave as they scrambled over the fields, hunting them tirelessly.
“How much further? These bastards are gaining fast!” Jack yelled, throwing his voice over the constant rat-ta-tat of Ben’s carbine.
“About half a click. It’s just up over that rise,” Ben said as he let off another shot. “This is going to be tight. Chopper is still ten minutes out.”
Jack nodded, reached down into the ammo bag and reloaded his shotgun. He crammed extra shells into his pockets, filling them as much as he could.
After another minute, they pulled into the small airfield. Long grass surrounded it, baked dry by the hot sunny days. A small tin shed sat next to a couple of larger buildings. Jack could see a concrete pad with a big capital “H” painted in bright yellow. He scanned the sky to the west for the chopper; he could just make out a tiny speck flying out of the clouds.
Dee slammed on the brakes, bringing the 4x4 to a skidding halt between the buildings. She looked back down the road and saw the mass of Variants charging towards them, already down the other end of the runway. Their screeches and howls filled the air. Raising her rifle, she sighted one through her scope. Pulling the trigger, she watched as it stumbled, fell, picked itself up and kept on charging.
You’ve got to get these things in the bloody head!
She looked over at Ben, firing into the mass. Dee could see the odd one staying down. In that moment she realised this was it, their last stand. Unless the chopper arrived in the next few minutes, they were dead.
Dee grimaced at the thought and glanced at her husband, searching out his eyes. She wanted to look in to them and feel the love of his soul one last time. She had fought through loneliness, anger and frustration to find him. She had battled Variants, killed them, watched people get torn apart. Almost got raped.
For a few glorious moments, she had held him again.
She saw Jack grinning at her. Covered in grime, mud and Variant muck, he still looked handsome.
She could see the little red-haired boy, George, peeking out the car door, his ice-blue eyes staring at the oncoming mass. She looked over at Boss as the wisecracking teenager loaded shells into his shotgun.
Dee turned back towards the mass of monsters.
So be it, but I’m going to take down as many of you bastards as I can.
Raising her rifle back to her shoulder, Dee spotted a stack of red tin barrels off to one side, next to a large tank with a bowser attached. Of course! AV gas! Do we have time?
“The fuel!” Dee said, pointing. Not waiting for an answer, Dee ran over to the barrels.
Seeing what she meant, Jack and Boss followed immediately.
Dee reached up and unhooked the bowser, then depressed the trigger. Fuel started pouring out onto the grass. She sloshed it around as far as she could and watched as Jack and Boss rolled some barrels out onto the grass, straining with the weight.
“Soak the grass between the buildings. We’ll burn the bastards as they funnel through.”
Jack and Boss grunted with exertion.
“Monster meat is back on the menu, boys,” Jack said. He unscrewed the caps, letting the high-octane fuel soak into the grass.
“Ben, how close are they?” Dee asked, sweat glistening on her forehead.
“Back in the truck everyone; they’re coming up fast. We’re going to have to make a run for it,” Ben said, firing his rifle in short bursts.
Dee pivoted and gasped at the sight of the Variants charging towards them. Monsters as far as she could see. Howling and screeching. She pushed Jack and Boss into the 4x4 and slid behind the wheel. Thankfully she’d left it running.