“What do you mean?” Dixon asks.
“I’m invisible to them, like camouflaged.”
“It didn’t look like that when one was about to bite your face off before Alice intervened,” Dixon points out.
“That was because I was attacking them and making a lot of noise. Believe me, they walk right past me unless I threaten them. I’ve just walked out of the city surrounded by them for god’s sake.”
“Are you infected, then?” Winters asks.
“Look, I don’t understand it and didn’t believe it myself until it happened, but it’s as if they think I’m one of them.”
“What do you suggest then, Captain?” Winters asks.
“I go in and kill them, that’s it.”
“No way, your little girl would never speak to me again if I let that happen and you didn’t survive.”
“It’s the best plan we can’t afford to delay,” I tell them.
“Okay, a compromise, you go in, set them up and as soon as the shooting starts, we come in,” Dixon suggests.
“Agreed,” I say. “Just don’t shoot me in the crossfire!”
“Funny fucker.” Dixon smiles.
“That’s the entry door on the right,” Winters points out.
“Okay, get ready, I’ll speak to Josh and Catherine to stay back with the girls,” I tell them.
Dixon and Winter move to brief Alice and Collins, while I go back towards the others.
Emily is still in Josh’s arms when I get back to them, her head is up though, and she is looking at me. Heaven knows what is going on in her mind, but there is no time to spend with her now.
“Can you two move back with the girls?” I ask Josh and Catherine. “There is going to be shooting, so be ready for it, okay?”
Josh and Catherine nod and start to move back. Emily looks at me and I think she is about to say something, but her head turns away and she buries it into Josh’s shoulder. I try to give them a reassuring smile before I turn back towards the loading bay door.
“Is everybody ready?” I ask. They all nod and I look at Winters. “Open it up,” I tell him.
Winters punches a code into the keypad on the wall, next to the door. My hand takes hold of the handle as the keypad beeps, showing a green light. Winters nods and my hand pushes the handle down.
Slowly, the door pushes open. Winters moves back, his rifle coming up to aim at the opening gap. Nothing springs out at me as I open the door ready to slip through into the loading bay. I scan the bay and sure enough, Rabids are inside, milling about as they do when they are waiting for something to happen. One close to the door, in a green General’s military uniform, looks at me through the gap. The former General bares its teeth at me before turning its head away. That is all the invitation I need, and I slip through the open gap and into the loading bay.
There are indeed about twenty Rabids shuffling about inside the large loading bay. On my left is a roller shutter that has two black cars and Colonel Reed’s Defender lined up behind it, our transport out of here. On my right is an open space that has wheeled storage cages and a few pallet trucks scattered around. Then in front on the opposite side are a couple of offices with a forklift parked up beside them.
The Rabids are spread out across the loading bay. I wish I had the silencer reattached to the front of the M4, I could take them out a few at a time if it were. I need to get them together into one bunch so that we can deal with them easily, in one place. How to do it without getting attacked again—I’m not sure I have the strength for another fight?
The solution presents itself on the wall on my right; a bonded storage cage is attached to the wall there. I presume it is used to store valuables in when they arrive, and it will be perfect. I slowly go over to it, not wanting to re-energise the Rabids with any sudden movements until I am ready. As I move, I look at each of the Rabids, looking for Colonel Reed. I definitely owe him one, but I’m just not sure I wanted it to be like this. He appears, shuffling out from the back of his Defender as if he is waiting by it to be driven somewhere. He is unmistakable, with his tall stature and short-cut grey hair, I could spot him from a mile off.
Reaching the bonded cage that has boxes of various sizes stored inside, I see it is padlocked shut. I release my hand from the M4 and go to reach for my Sig, but I stop before I take hold of it. If I shoot the lock off, the others will bowl in too soon. Instead, I unclip the M4, take aim and swipe it down, handle first, smashing it into the body of the padlock.
The loud crack is followed by the body of the lock hitting the floor with a thud. A screech sounds out behind me. I don’t look around, but unhook the remainder of the lock from the doors clasp and quickly pull the door open and move inside.
Pulling the door closed, I don’t delay and start banging my fist against the steel mesh; at the same time, I shout “Come and get it!”
In no time, the Rabids are heading towards the new noise and coming back to life. I hope that the others don’t mistake the banging for shooting as I carry on hitting my fist on the mesh. Glistening yellow teeth and angered black eyes are quickly piling up on the other side of the mesh, their throats belching out high-pitched noise and foul smells.
Waiting for them all to crowd around, I move
