I only have one option that I can think of; use the two grenades Josh gave me. Throw them in front of the door and hope the blasts blow the fuckers back down the stairs to give me the little time I need.
My right hand on the Browning, keeping it firing, my left hand reaches for the first of the grenades that I’d placed by the feet of the Browning. Picking it up, I raise it to my mouth and pull out the pin with my teeth. The pin slips out and I spit away.
Throwing the grenade into a good position is not going to be easy, especially left-handed. Bodies and body parts litter the ground in front of the door, two, three and even four bodies deep. All I can do is get the distance right, where it ends up in the mangled mess is going to be a lottery, the best I can hope for is that it stays on top. The first one arcs through the air, but I don’t look to see where it ends up because I am reaching for the second grenade whilst still firing the Browning. I throw the second one, trying to do it as quickly as possible so that the blasts happen as closely together as they can.
I keep my finger on the trigger of the Browning, firing constantly, using as much ammo as possible, even if I don’t see a target. Any ammo remaining after the grenades go off will be wasted anyway because I won’t be here to fire it.
Grenade number one explodes and I duck down, taking as much cover as I can behind Dan’s hastily constructed firing point. The blast is considerable. I must have been lucky where the grenade landed, and I hope the second explosion is equally fierce. My hand stays on the grip of the Browning and I keep firing blind, trying not to move its aim away from the door. The heat from the blast hits my raised gloved hand but doesn’t threaten to burn it, and I wait for blast two which will be my signal to make my run.
Seconds after the first, grenade two explodes. My luck hasn’t held though. The second blast is dulled, the grenade must have nestled down into the bodies. Nevertheless, it is now or never, my right hand releases the Browning, my legs push off and I spring up from behind the firing point.
As soon as I’m up, I know I’m in trouble and my legs nearly falter. Rabids are at the door already and coming through. How, I don’t know, but they are. The only consolation is that they look dazed and uncertain; could it be the smoke and mist from the explosions is hampering their vision? That won’t last. They are still flooding out and they are right in my path to the Lynx.
I run parallel to the Lynx in the vain hope that I can run around them. Gunfire erupts from the Lynx, from whom, I can’t afford to look but it does take some of them down. The noise from the new gunfire also has the effect of attracting the Rabids to it—or at least some of them—and away from me, but that is taking more of them into the path between me and the Lynx.
Shit, I keep running away from the door with nowhere to go and with Rabids spreading across the roof. A chilling screech pieces my ears from behind, I daren’t look back but I can feel them behind me. Not all are going towards the gunfire. The damaged helipad… can I take shelter on that somehow, get out of their reach or find cover for a new firing position? No, I quickly decide, they would be on me before I had a chance to find anything up there.
I sprint to the only possible harbour there is, the hole in the roof, and the depths of the building below.
Rabids are close behind me, I can feel them, they are gaining on me. I see the hole coming up in front of me and I never would have thought that dark abyss would ever look so inviting.
Meters away from the hole, a Rabid is right behind me. I see it out of the corner of my eye, the dark figure almost upon me, ready to pounce. Adrenaline pumps into my legs, forcing them to go faster. They are no competition for the speed of the Rabid though, and the beast jumps at me.
I drop down below its jump and slide along, through the water that covers the entire roof, aiming for the gaping hole that is just in front and hoping the speed of my slide will carry me far enough to reach it. The Rabid sails over me, flailing its arms down to try and grab me. The creature misses and without me to stop it, it flies over the hole, then hits the edge of the building with a crunch before bouncing off and disappearing over the edge.
Snatching a look behind me, I see another coming at me. My momentum is more than enough to reach the hole, but I don’t try to slow. I let my slide carry me into the hole. As I reach the edge I swivel and grab hold of one of the fast ropes that still hangs down and use it to control my descent back down into the building. My wet boots hit the sideboard hard and slip from beneath me on the polished varnished top. Falling forwards, I try to stop myself by gripping the rope harder, but it doesn’t stop me going down; the wet rope and wet hands nullify the friction. My stomach hits the edge of the sideboard, bringing me to a sudden stop and winding me, I let go of the rope and
