Downey steers over to the left side and accelerates onto the main taxiway heading for the runway. Dixon only realises now that Downey hasn’t turned on the headlights; he didn’t pick it up before, even when they drove through the darkness of the helicopters. It is a good move from Downey, keeping them as stealthy as possible as they approach the figures ahead. They will see the pick-up soon enough and at any moment now.
Dixon registers the first figure change direction and starts to run at the pick-up, quite a distance away. He doesn’t panic, warns Kim again and prepares himself for battle. Dixon crosses his left arm in front of himself over the cab, taking hold of an anchor point to steady himself, in case Downey takes evasive action. He then rests his rifle with his right hand across his left arm and pulls the rifle home into his shoulder. His legs move back slightly and spread to steady himself even more, pushing his weight into the cab. The pick-up bobs up and down on the road, making Dixon's aim constantly adjust to compensate.
He quickly gets into a rhythm but hitting a moving target from a moving position requires its fair share of luck as well as skill. The odds of him hitting a headshot are slim to none, so Dixon is going for the lower body and legs shot to increase the odds. He will shoot a short burst to that area to take the Rabids down. They won’t be hanging around long enough to worry about kill shots.
The Rabid changes the trajectory of its run to ensure it is on a collision course with the pick-up as Downey steers. They don’t run like humans, Dixon notes as he gets a good look at the Rabid’s form on the wide-open taxiway. It sways from side to side, its legs moving inconsistently, sometimes taking super-fast smaller strides which can then develop into impossibly long strides as its feet slow down and it almost glides across the ground. Occasionally, a long stride is followed by a leap and the Rabid seems to fly through the air. Dixon wonders whether it is running like that to use different muscles. Burning energy in one set of muscles until another is recovered and then switching style to use the fresher muscles? Whatever the reason, it works; the speed the Rabid reaches over a very long distance is frighteningly awesome.
The Rabid’s run has attracted others to attack, as they too have now seen the pick-up driving towards them. The first Rabid closes in and is almost in Dixon’s range. He knows how far these fuckers can jump and doesn’t want it airborne when he takes his shots. He needs its legs in his sights. Dixon prepares to let go his first volley. He aims short of his target to account for the speed of the Rabid and the pick-up. His finger squeezes the rifle’s trigger, which is switched to automatic. The five or six bullets are fired in an instant, his shoulder accommodating the rifle’s juddering recoil.
The lead bullet explodes into the concrete just in front of the oncoming Rabid, missing its target and spitting up dust. Two or three of the following bullets do hit their target and as the bullets rip clean through the Rabid’s legs, they are taken from beneath it. The Rabid falls forward hard, smashing into the concrete of the taxiway. Dixon sees its head bounce off the rock-hard surface as its lead arm fails to stop its fall and snaps in two.
Downey doesn’t have to swerve to miss the forlorn body. He carries on straight as the body is left behind, where it fell.
Dixon doesn’t have time to pat himself on the back for his shot. He is immediately adjusting his aim to the next target. That’s one down but they are about to start coming thick and fast.
Targets are coming straight at the pick-up from several directions. Downey keeps the pick-up going straight on through. He doesn’t try to steer to avoid them, as tempting as it may be to get out of the way of the oncoming wretches. He keeps the pick-up at a constant speed and direction to give Dixon the most stable platform possible to shoot from. He knows that swerving around will give Dixon no chance of hitting his targets, and he will only change course if absolutely necessary.
As the pick-up starts to draw level with the inferno away to its right, Dixon feels the searing heat emanating from it. They are some distance away from the burning helicopters and building but that doesn’t stop the right side of his face drying out and heating up. He ignores the heat and the explosions. His focus is on the Rabids in front of him. He misses his next target and has to fire again, taking the Rabid down at the second time of asking. He readjusts and fires again, this time hitting his target first time.
Creatures are running at them from the expanse on the left. Dixon, for the most part, ignores them, however. Even at the speed they run, they aren’t quick enough to catch the pick-up in time and are left behind. Kim takes pot shots at some of them who change direction and try to follow the pick-up; most give up though.
Dixon has to concentrate on dispatching the Rabids that were already within range of the pick-up and they are mostly in front and just off to the left. He tries to take them out before they get into the path Downey is taking so that he doesn’t have to swerve. His rifle is firing almost constantly as he takes one out and readjusts for the next target. The pick-up does have to steer around some dropped bodies, but Dixon sees it coming and compensates.
Dixon’s second magazine empties and he pulls it swiftly out of the bottom of the rifle. Another fresh mag is in his
