Hopkins sighed. “Christ, I thought he was gonna fire.”
Cardell nodded. “Yeah, me too. The problem is we ain’t getting that Challenger back, no way. Grab the Brimstones. Make sure it doesn’t get back to the main road. Go now before it’s too late.”
Hopkins dropped from the platform. “Now!” he shouted. “Grab the launcher! Get the Brimstones!”
Cardell watched as the hatch arose.
Grout appeared from inside once more. “You know, I was doing some research on this gorgeous beast earlier,” he said, tapping the tank, “and I found out something amazing. Something so fantastic you are going to lose your shit. Are you ready? Okay, here we go. Did you know that this gun fires one hundred and twenty millimetre rounds?”
Cardell nodded. “Yes.”
“Damn it, just when I thought I could look intelligent. I honestly believed you wouldn’t know the answer to that. Stupid on my behalf, I suppose. You’re a Captain, I should have known that you’d know.”
Cardell nodded. “You have to know a hell of a lot of stuff to become a Captain.”
Grout nodded. “Yes, I suppose you do.”
“Is there anything else you’d like to know? About anything?” Cardell knew his men needed time to load the rocket launcher. Anything he could do to buy them some extra seconds, he would.
Grout rubbed his chin before clicking his fingers. “Actually, yes, there is. I often wondered if the ammunition from this beast could fire through metal and I think I know a way of exactly how you can help me out with that, sir.”
Grout dropped the hatch. In seconds, the gun barrel exploded. Round upon round blasted through the gate, shredding through the metal like a wall of cheap paper. Soldiers exploded, caught in the fire. Tents flapped and fell. Sparks flashed out from their contact with metal. Cardell jumped from the platform.
“Breach! Breach!” a voice screamed. The gates pushed open as a swarm of brain dead flooded inside. Gunfire rattled out within the complex. The first line of blood drenched crazies slumped to the floor. A second wave pushed in, prying open the gates. The locking mechanism had been destroyed by the tank’s fire power. Soldiers ran to the breech, firing their guns with extreme prejudice. Blood spattered into the air and across the ground. Crazies slumped as they fell, but more seared inside. Screams began as the hordes reached the soldiers, unable to stop them. Cardell sprinted from the scene, ducking amongst the gunfire. Blood exploded into the air. Intestines spilled onto the floor. The brain dead flooded inside the complex, and still they pushed in.
Cardell fought them off, one after another. Pale faces with deep, black veins filled his vision. With every black mouth knocked away, another replaced it. Bullets whistled past, coming within inches of taking him. Cardell pushed through the madness. His foot froze. Momentum threw him forward causing him to topple and smash to the ground. Someone had grabbed his ankle. As much as he tried, he could not move. Blunt pain pinched at his neck. It increased causing him to yell out. His skin grew taught until the pain clamped tighter and stung. Liquid ran down on to his chin. Pressure fell upon him, immobilising any movement. Blood pattered on to the ground. He knew that flesh had been removed from his neck. Fingers bore into the wound. Cardell screamed at the rawest, most intense pain he’d ever felt. His internal organs crushed by fingers inside his own body. Lumps of muscle torn from the bone. Skin shredded as more hands entered the wound. Agony seared through his head. Fingers pushed deeper inside his body, reaching his throat. He choked as the burning pain collapsed his airways. The hand pulled back, taking with it Cardell’s throat. The lump of flesh floated upward and into the mouth of an attractive, blood-soaked blonde woman.
Seven
Bucky shot from the bed. “What the hell was that?”
The fast, intermittent pops of gunfire sounded from outside.
Aaron jumped up. “Sounds like gun fire!”
Soldiers sprinted past the door. Footfalls echoed throughout the corridor. Shouting boomed between the walls.
“This doesn’t sound good,” Johnny added.
They stood in their quarters as silence, save for the gunfire, engulfed them.
“What now?” Lacey asked.
Bucky moved across to the door, opening it with caution. All around them the gunfire continued. He peered around the door frame and along the pale blue walls to the left. Rapid footfalls approached. From around the corner a soldier appeared, sprinting straight toward them. As he approached, Bucky noticed blood streaked across his face and uniform.
“Go!” the soldier shouted. “Breach!” He continued past, disappearing around another turn.
“Did he say ‘breach’?” Lacey asked.
“This can’t be happening.” Bucky whispered.
“Bucky? Did he say breach?” she asked again.
He turned to her, and to his friends, closing his eyes. “Yes,” he nodded.
“Oh no,” Aaron replied. “No. Not after everything we’ve all been through.”
Bucky turned to the pale wall and for the first time in his life contemplated suicide.
“Grow a set, all of you,” Lacey blasted. “This is the way of our world now, whether you like it or you don’t. Truth is, unless we adapt we’re going to die, all of us. You can bitch and you can cry, but we made it this far.”
“I’m just… I’m just done,” Aaron replied. “I’m tired, more so than I’ve ever been in my life. I just can’t do it.”
“Lacey is right,” Bucky said, turning back to his friends. “We can’t hide it out here, it’s too compact. We need to get away, back into the open. At least there we have a chance.”
“Come on, man,” Johnny added, encouraging his friend. “If I can do this you can do this. It’s like James Ellsworth said when he stepped in the wrestling ring that first time on TV. Any man with two hands has a fighting chance. We’re better off out of this room.”
Aaron sighed. “It doesn’t look like I have much
