They were joined by Ethan, Brenda, Rita, and a couple of others, all armed in varying degrees.
“What’s going on?” Ethan asked.
“Zombies,” she replied.
They reached the entrance at the same time the infected smashed through the barrier. Glass showered onto the floor, and a guard screamed as a trio of zombies dragged him to the ground.
Dylan aimed for the man’s attackers, shooting them at close range. Like bloated ticks, they fell away, but it was too late to save him. Blood fountained from the hole in his throat, and she delivered a quick mercy shot.
Amanda smashed in a zombie’s head with the vase but screamed when another latched onto her forearm. With a wild yell, Dylan threw herself at the monster. She punched it in the face until blood and teeth sprayed through the air. The thing collapsed only to be replaced by another, and another. Two nurses went down under the onslaught, and the floor grew slippery with blood.
“Fall back to the ward,” Dylan screamed, scooping up the fallen guard’s rifle. “Fall back!”
Amanda likewise armed herself, and they retreated with Ethan and the rest in tow. With the automatic weapon, Dylan was able to keep the infected at bay until they reached the room. There, she stopped inside the entrance. “Don’t let them all through at once. Funnel them a few at a time.”
A couple of the patients, including Rikke and Tamara, joined them. Together, they fought to keep the infected away from the kids inside the ward. For a while, they succeeded but began to lose ground as their ammo ran out.
Dylan was down to her last few rounds when an infected grabbed Arely. Before she could react, Brenda launched herself at the zombie, bashing it in the face with her fists. “Let go of her, you monster.”
“No, Brenda,” Dylan cried, too scared to take a shot for fear of hitting her friend.
The infected snarled and sank its teeth into Brenda’s jugular. She uttered a gurgling scream and collapsed to the ground with the zombie on top of her. Moments later, Ethan was there, grappling with the infected as he tried to help Brenda.
“Brenda,” he roared.
One futile hand reached for her before half his face was torn away. Bile rushed up Dylan’s throat, and she cried with horror, “Ethan!”
One eye fixed on her face, and he said. “Do it.”
With a sob, she pulled the trigger. His head blew back, and he fell next to Brenda. Gone forever.
Rage filled Dylan’s mind. She longed to lose control. To let the virus take over until her vision washed crimson. She growled with frustration when her rifle clicked on empty, and she almost tossed it aside. Grabbing the gun by the barrel, she swung it like a bat, caving in skulls and faces. Blood and brains misted her skin and soaked into her clothes.
Still, the infected came.
They clamored for the sweet flesh of young children and pushed the defenders back until they hit the wall.
Fury filled Dylan, and she let go of the last of her humanity. With a primal scream, she jumped on top of the nearest infected and tore at its face and throat.
Hands dragged her back, and Amanda shoved a knife into her hands. “Use this. You’re not one of them. You’re one of us.”
Dylan blinked as a semblance of control, returned. Amanda was right. She was human. Not zombie. Ethan wouldn’t have wanted me to act like one of them. Not even for him.
“This is for Brenda.” With a bloody grin, she thrust her knife into a zombie’s eyeball, piercing the brain.
“And this is for Ethan.” Stepping sideways, she stuck the blade through another’s temple before impaling a third through the soft tissue of the chin.
But even with the destruction she rained down on the hapless zombies, there were too many. She was fighting a losing battle until…
Suddenly, a group of strangers stormed into the room, picking off the infected one by one. A familiar figure blasted two with a shotgun before letting loose with a knife, hacking, and stabbing like a madwoman.
“Tara!” Dylan said, recognizing her savior. “You came.”
Tara didn’t hear her, continuing to cut at a long-dead zombie until Dylan grabbed her. “Tara, stop! It’s over.”
“Dylan?”
And finally, it was over.
Despite all the odds, they’d won.
Chapter 23 - Tara
Tara paced up and down the length of her office, her heart pounding in her ears. It was impossible to focus on work, to focus on anything but the sounds of battle. It began early that morning, around the time Saul and Jackson’s teams were supposed to blow the bridges. Unable to sit still, she’d gone in search of Nick.
“Nick, please tell me. Is Saul still alive?” she’d asked when she found him overseeing the deployment of troops around the inner fence line.
“Tara, you’re not supposed to be here,” he scolded.
“I know, but where is Saul?” she insisted.
“He’s fine,” Nick replied. “His team radioed through a few minutes ago.”
“Oh, thank goodness,” Tara gasped.
“They were unable to blow the bridge, but Jackson’s team succeeded,” Nick added.
“What does that mean?” Tara asked.
“It means the fight is on, and you’d better get back to the lab. It’s as safe as anywhere right now,” Nick said.
“What about Saul?” Tara said. “I can’t leave him out there. I have to go to him.”
“No, Tara. Listen to me,” Nick said, gripping her elbow. “Saul is a fighter. Let him do what he does best.”
“But—”
“He can’t do that while he’s worried about you. Right now, he thinks you’re safe. He thinks he’s fighting for you, and that gives him strength. Don’t take that away from him,” Nick said.
Tara had listened. She returned to the lab and her endless pacing. It was hell. Pure, undiluted hell.
The sounds from the city, at first faint and distant, soon escalated. It became louder and louder until it felt like a war took place on her doorstep. And it was. It was right outside, and she was powerless to stop it.
Finally, she curled up on the couch with her
