If only the rifle had been switched to automatic.
In reflex, Jason’s arms raise to protect him from the impact of the flying creature, bringing the rifle up with them. The Zombie lands on Jason and out of sheer luck, it’s neck lands across the body of the rifle with a force that stuns it for a moment, but then it tries to press home its advantage and goes for Jason again.
The Zombie pushes forward, its face and teeth only centimetres away from Jason’s face. It growls and gnashes its teeth, desperately trying to close the gap and to bite its prey’s face. Jason, resists, his body now using all its strength to push back against the rifle, to push that mouth away from him. He doesn’t even register the black blood and drool that are dripping down onto his face and neck, his only thought is to push and keep the creature off.
His arms are failing him though, he can feel it, the strength gradually sapping away from them. Push, push, he desperately thinks, but the Zombie is winning, drawing its mouth closer a millimetre at a time, its strength overpowering his arms. Jason looks into the creature’s deadly eyes; is that going to be the last image he sees before the end?
Multiple gunshots erupt from Jason’s left as Tyrone opens up his SA80 rifle into the creature that is attacking his comrade. Tyrone’s shots are good, measured, targeted to the Zombie’s body to ensure he doesn’t hit Jason, but they don’t seem to have much effect. The creature is still alive and still attacking. Thinking quickly, Tyrone flicks the rifle out of automatic, aims and takes a single shot to the Zombie’s head.
The Zombie’s body immediately drops and goes limp, only its head staying up, held up by Jason. Tyrone steps forward and raises his foot, pushing it against the creature’s body which slowly rolls over until it flops off Jason and lands on the floor next to him.
Jason seems frozen, his arms still raised, holding his rifle in mid-air as if he is still holding off the Zombie. Tyrone lowers himself down to Jason, whose eyes are wide. Still and in shock, his face is a mess, the left side and his lower chin and neck covered in a red/black substance.
“Jason, it’s dead, you’re okay,” Tyrone tells him, “talk to me mate, can you hear me?”
Slowly, Jason starts to come around, his eyes start to blink and close a bit to a more normal size and his arms slowly relax and lower the rifle.
“Is it dead?” Jason eventually says.
“Yes mate, it is, but we need to go, more might be coming.”
The thought of more coming seems to spring Jason back to life and he starts to get up; he tries too quickly though. His head goes dizzy, so he has to stop on one knee to give time for oxygen to replace whatever chemicals his brain was flooded with, to keep going in the creature’s attack. He knows he is in shock; his limbs are cold and shaking and he feels very queasy, but he can’t try to recover here. Tyrone is right, more are probably coming, especially following all the noise that has just happened.
The dizziness eases off, so Jason tries again to get to his feet and with the help of Tyrone, he manages it.
“Where is Den?” Jason asks.
“He went off to find the staff toilets; he wouldn’t use the children’s ones we came across, funny bugger.”
“He has his moments, but we need to find him and get back to our Squad, I think they are under attack,” Jason tells Tyrone. “Are the back playing fields clear?
Tyrone eases over towards the back of the classroom, the glass from the smashed back window crunching under his feet into even smaller shards as he goes, stepping slowly towards it, his rifle up, at the ready.
“It looks clear. I think you were unlucky and got a stray one,” he says.
“Unlucky is one way to describe it, I can’t believe how fast and strong that thing was, I thought I’d had it! You killed it just in time. Thanks, I owe you one,” Jason tells him seriously.
“No need to thank me, bro, we got each other’s backs,” Tyrone says as he comes back across the room.
“No doubt, but thanks.”
“Come on, let’s go and find Denny boy,” Tyrone says, slaps Jason on the back and they leave the carnage of the classroom behind.
Chapter 11
“Any idea where the staff toilets are?” Jason asks.
“No, but I guess they will be by the main entrance to the school, so this way,” Tyrone replies, taking the lead.
The two men make their way through the dim corridors of the school, moving as quickly as they can, but deliberately, covering each other and checking their corners, taking no chances after what has just happened.
As they approach the main entrance to the school, the light increases somewhat, the sun coming through the large windows of the square open area adjacent to the main doors. There is a reception desk at the side to greet visitors that come through the main doors, and various offices around the perimeter, but they can’t see any toilets.
“Where the fuck is, he?” Tyrone asks.
“That’s got to be the Assembly Hall through those doors,” Jason says pointing to a set of double doors opposite the main doors. “The staff toilets must be down that corridor there,” Jason’s arm moves to point down a corridor opposite them on the other side of the square.
“Cover me,” Tyrone tells Jason and he steps out
