The sound of Rabids is immediately audible through the crack; they are definitely on this floor too. Gradually, I pull the door open wider to be met with the blast of more gunfire, automatic gunfire, coming from my right. The coast is clear, and I step out of the stairwell and into the corridor, turning right as I do.
Moving swiftly along, behind my raised M4, I stalk down the corridor following the sound of Rabids and sporadic gunfire. I don’t have to go far to find the fighting. Another corridor splits off from the main one, on my left, and I stop short of it. Screeches mixed with gunfire are now loud as the sound is carried down the smaller corridor that is branching off left. I approach the corner of the two corridors and look around it.
Trampled dead bodies are a short distance up from me, ten or twenty of them. Some of them still twitch but there no active Rabids in sight. This corridor is also curving left, so I can’t see what is happening farther up. I turn the corner and head up the corridor, adrenaline fizzing in my limbs as I prepare for the inevitable battle.
Stalking to the right of the corridor to get a better view of the way ahead, I reach the trampled twitching bodies. Stepping around and over them, gradually Rabids come into my view as more of the corridor and then an open space presents itself. Rabids are thronged at the far end of what looks like a foyer with rooms off it, thirty or forty of them, more even. Above the heads of the Rabids, I spot a sign attached to the wall that reads, COMMAND ROOM.
My hope rises; if I am going to find Lieutenant Winters anywhere, surely it is at the command room. I’m banking on him knowing where my children are if he isn’t with them, and if Colonel Reed has anything to say about it my rifle will be breaking his jaw.
Another volley of gunfire explodes as I assess my tactics. The blast comes from the left of the command room, where another door is situated. The door is partially open and that is where the Rabids are concentrated. Somebody must be in there, fighting to keep the mass of Rabids at bay, Winters?
I hear the scream above the screech of Rabids and through the gunfire. EMILY, EMILY IS IN THAT ROOM!
My body is overtaken by panic and desperation to get to her and to kill every one of the fucking Rabids that stand between us. I twist off the silencer from the front of the M4, discarding it, unclip it from my front, raise the rifle and pull the trigger without a second thought. If the throng of beasts is attacking me, then at least they aren’t attacking Emily. The M4 blazes into life, spraying bullets into the back of the Rabids. Heads explode and bodies fall as my first volley catches them by surprise. The new blast of noise gets their attention immediately and Rabids turn in my direction. My first magazine empties and I swiftly switch it out, opening fire again. More Rabids fall, but my element of surprise is gone. Beasts scatter from the back of the pack in too many directions for me to shoot at. They come for me, screeching their battle cry to alert others to my threat.
No longer invisible to the Rabids, my camouflage has evaporated. Just as happened in the Orion building, I am drawing them to me and that is the reason the M4’s silencer is lost on the floor. Changing my tactics, I fire shorter bursts at specific targets as I fall back to the more confined space of the corridor behind me. Rabids follow my retreat, some falling from my fire as they are forced to group together, the narrower corridor closing in on them.
My mag goes. I was expecting it and again I reload the M4, so rapidly it surprises me. Ferocious creatures fly at me, but I make my stand near to the junction with the main corridor. Rabids go down, the M4 whipping through the air in multiple directions, picking out targets and firing. My aim is astonishing, it’s holding the tide back. Bullets hit heads, shattering skulls and exploding brains.
As the next mag goes, I know exactly where to reach for the next one with my left hand as my right ejects the spent one. The delay, as quick as the switch is, gives my enemy vital seconds to breach the gap to me and I’m now playing catchup. The Rabids are too close now though, I can’t keep up. The angle has changed, and the rifle has to move too far, through the air to each side of the corridor to be effective.
I spray the whole magazine into the legs of the oncoming Rabids. Many have their legs taken from under them. Others behind fall over the ones that go down but not enough of them. There is no time to change the mag again as a Rabid launches at me. Its eyes are filled with hatred and determination, not to feed but to kill the betrayer.
I am no zombie, I think to myself as I bring the butt of the M4 swinging around and smash it into the back of the Rabid’s head. The beast’s skull cracks from the force of the blow and it crashes to the ground at my feet, headfirst. I release the empty M4 to drop to the floor.
Most of the Rabids are dead or down but more still come and are on me. One slams into me as I reach for the Sig in my shoulder holster. Hit backwards, my hand comes away empty as my arms flail backwards to try and break my fall. Managing to save myself from the brunt of the fall, I recover enough to bring my arms back up to defend myself from the vicious Rabid snarling inches
