The Delta relaxed and collapsed on top of him. Jacob could hear another set running down the trail, snarling and screaming as they approached. No time to react, his lay motionless faking death as they passed him by. He closed his eyes, failing to shut out the battle. He could still hear the steady rhythm of James’s machine gun in the distance. He must be nearly out of ammo, Jacob thought.
The feet passed him by. He could hear them screaming and shouting as they swarmed the cabin just ahead and down the trail. Pushing the body off him, he rolled back to his feet and leaned over to grab his rifle, determined to retake the cabin or die trying. He pushed out of the heavy brush then moved into the clearing. He forced himself to slow down, to assess the situation, and not run head on into danger. He saw a group of them charging at the cabin wildly. They ran right at the wire, every one of them catching it and tripping before being tossed face first to the ground.
Jacob did not let the opportunity pass by; he stood upright, raising the rifle, and shooting the creatures in the back where they lay. He then dropped his stance, searching for another target. The nearby creatures were massed around the cabin, not interested in him. Jacob watched as they pounded against the wooden door and shuttered windows, their pus-filled blisters breaking open, leaving black streaks on the roughhewn planks. Jacob moved ahead stoically before taking cover behind a tree. He drew the Ruger MK III and inserted a fresh magazine. Steadying himself, he went to work dispatching the Deltas from behind with single shots to the back of the head.
One by one, they dropped with strikes to the skull. Jacob cleared the front then moved to the side of the building. He reloaded and turned, searching for more targets but finding none. The woods around him were suddenly silent. No more gunfire; only the occasional scream of a Delta to let him know he was not alone. Jacob tucked the pistol into his waistband and held the rifle at the ready, stepping carefully over the downed bodies.
A Delta staggered out of the woods behind him. It moved down the hill and, like the others, tripped over the wire. It clawed and scratched at the ground, moving itself forward. Jacob looked at the thing through the sites of his rifle. Its face was swollen, blistered, and peeling, the dioxin doing its work, but there was something else. The creature dragged itself ahead, ignoring him. Jacob stepped closer. His boot scraping across dried leaves caused the creature’s head to turn toward him, its jaws snapping. “You’re blind,” Jacob whispered, stepping closer.
He moved ahead, keeping his rifle aimed at the creature’s face. Jacob whistled, and the Delta grew frantic, slashing at the air. When it looked directly at Jacob, he could see the milky-white eyes filled with oozing fluid. “Yeah, you can’t see me,” Jacob whispered again before pulling the trigger.
Jacob shambled slowly to the porch, grabbing a Delta’s foot and dragging it away from the building. He returned and sat on a step, looking down at the pathetic creatures lying next to him. All of them had the same milky eyes. “So it blinds them,” Jacob said, leaning back. He let his rifle drop to the steps as he searched his gear for water. He found a crushed, nearly empty bottle and drank thirstily, draining it before tossing it to the ground.
He detected something in the cabin behind him. Eve unbolted the door and walked out onto the porch, examining the view. She stepped ahead, walking down the steps and onto the open ground. She looked up as Jesse staggered ahead out of the clearing, his neck bandaged heavily; Stone’s arm was over his shoulder as he too limped forward. Eve ran to them, helping him move Stone down the hill and to the porch.
Jacob peeled himself from the steps and closed the distance with the others. Eve was tending to her father, leaving Jesse standing alone holding a column attached to the cabin’s porch to stable himself. “Any sign of the rest?” Jacob said.
Jesse shook his head. Jacob put a gloved hand to his friend’s arm, squeezing it before stepping back toward the hill and up the trail. He knew he shouldn’t go alone, but he didn’t care; he wanted to find the others. Jacob shook his head, fighting off the cold air and finally slowing down as his sweat-soaked body felt the chill. He slung the M14 over his shoulder and gripped the MK III, letting it hang in his exhausted arm.
They lay all over the ground. The Delta’s dead not moving, some with obvious gunshot wounds, others fallen from the effects of the dioxin. Everywhere Jacob turned he could see one.
Walking slowly, he moved along the trail and headed for the ambush site. He spotted one staggering through the woods on his right. Jacob watched it move clumsily through the trees. He allowed the thing to get closer before calling out to it. He watched as the thing’s grotesque blistered face turned toward him, its pus-filled eyes searching. Jacob raised his pistol and fired a single shot; the creature bucked and tumbled to the ground.
He turned ahead, spotting Rogers stumbling in his direction from out of the haze; his rifle hung limp from his right arm and his face was covered with soot. He staggered to Jacob with his head down, intent on reaching the cabin. Jacob put his arms up, grabbing the big man and steadying him. Rogers looked up, fatigue showing heavy in his eyes. He looked at Jacob as if he didn’t recognize him.
“Rogers, where are the others?’ Jacob
