“I need both hands, Emily, stay in front of me but hold Stacey’s okay?” Josh tells her, and Emily complies.
Collins's head goes out of the gap of the open door to check the area is clear before he opens the door fully and moves out into the corridor, his rifle up and his knees bent. Alice mirrors his stance and follows Collins out, her rifle swinging one way and then the other. Satisfied the corridor is clear, she signals for the rest to follow.
Catherine is the next one out, her head looking one way, then the other, Dixon’s Glock held in both hands. Her arms are straight, pointing the gun at the floor in front of her, ready to bring it up at a moment’s notice.
Emily and Stacey are up next but just as they are about to cross the threshold, an impossibly loud Rabid screech pierces the air above the noise of gunfire. Emily immediately takes a step back away from the door, moving back into safety.
“Emily, we have to go now; come on, we can do I,” Stacey says, looking at her and pulling her hand gently.
“I’m right here, Em,” Josh reassures.
Emily takes a step forward again and this time, she keeps going. Stacey guides her out and takes her to the right, so that Josh, followed by Dixon, can start to move.
Alice has waited, covering the corridor on the left, her rifle aimed directly down it. As soon as Josh emerges, he replaces her, and she quickly moves up to the front with Collins. Josh then rolls away to follow Emily, allowing Dixon to cover the rear.
The group moves quickly up the corridor with Collins showing the way on point and Josh and Dixon working in tandem to cover the rear. Sounds of gunfire and Rabids are constant and only quieten marginally as they move away up the corridor.
Collins presses the button for the lift as soon as he reaches them, before taking a covering position just past the lifts. Dixon has taken a knee and is covering the rear as they wait for the lift to arrive.
“Pack into the lift tightly. We don’t want to split up,” Dixon instructs from over his shoulder as the doors ping open.
Collins and Dixon load onto the lift last. It is tight but not too tight, even with their weapons. The lift whisks them up to the next floor quickly.
In sync with the door sliding open, Collins’s rifle sweeps down, the butt rising to meet his shoulder and his head moves to its sight. He steps out of the door before it is fully open, and he covers Dixon’s exit which is just as well choreographed. The two men ensure the area is clear and cover all angles before signalling to Alice to lead the others out. She comes out rifle raised, joining Collins and taps him on the shoulder without dropping her aim to tell him to proceed. Collins moves forward immediately, back towards the sound of fighting, before he hangs left onto the adjacent corridor that leads up to the command room. Alice stops at the intersection, covering until the three women are past and Josh reaches her when she breaks to join Collins again.
They move quickly along the corridor until it opens out into a foyer with a room at the end. Outside the room, hanging on the wall by the side of the entrance is a sign that reads command room.
Two soldiers are stationed at the entrance and they both look confused by the arrival of this odd group.
“This’ll do,” Dixon orders as they reach the end of the corridor and get just inside the foyer, well short of the command room.
Collins has already stopped and taken a covering position at the corner of the corridor and the foyer. His rifle is already aimed back down the relatively narrow corridor. He knows as Dixon does, it is the best defensive position if anything decides to attack up the corridor.
“Why don’t you take a seat ladies, while we wait for Lieutenant Winters?” Dixon says, motioning with his head to a row of nearby seats from his covering position. “Josh, see if the Lieutenant is in there; we can’t hang around here in the open.”
Josh doesn’t need asking twice. Gunshots are constantly ringing out, but their noise is gradually being overtaken by the unmistakable sound of Rabids.
Josh rises from his knee, leaving Alice to cover the middle of the corridor. She moves to lie down on her front, her elbows resting on the floor holding her rifle up, her legs splayed out behind her.
Josh approaches the entrance to the command room, the two guards outside looking wary.
“Can we help you, Private?” one asks, a Lance Corporal.
“Sir, Lieutenant Winters ordered us to meet him here, I just wanted to check he is in there?” Josh replies, his neck stretching to try and get a good look inside to see if he can see him.
“We cannot confirm that, Private.”
“Sir, this place is going to be overrun soon, I just need to know if he is in there? We have women and children with us, Sir,” Josh says, trying to pull on his heartstrings.
Josh can see inside the command room; there are only a few people in there by the looks of it. He can’t see if Lieutenant Winters is one of them, however.
The two guards look at each other for a moment and then Josh’s ploy works.
“He is in there, Private, but we can’t let you in.”
“No Sir, thank you, Sir. I’ll wait with the others, Sir.” Josh salutes and turns back.
“CONTACT!” Alice shouts, and at the same time she opens fire, letting off two rounds.
Emily’s scream is masked by the noise of Alice’s rifle, but Josh hears it. Panicked, he sprints across the foyer to where she is sitting gripping onto Stacey. He stands
