Dropping to a crouch, she pulled the grenade launcher from his hands, and checked it. Snatching the ammunition from around his shoulder, she dropped the bandolier across her own and loaded the weapon, watching for the dead as they swarmed around her. She had a giant to kill.
Standing, she leveled the launcher at Peyton and fired. The grenade arced through the air to strike him in the head where it exploded harmlessly. She cursed as he stopped and turned towards her, his swollen yellow eye fixing her with its awful gaze.
The thing moaned and lurched towards her, swinging blindly as she dived to the side. The APC went flying as she reloaded and rolled over in the mud, firing again. The grenade struck Peyton's chest, exploding, but not slowing him at all.
It moaned again, reaching out to pin her with its massive hand, holding her to the ground so hard she felt like she couldn't breathe. Leaning down, it moaned once more, mouth opening wide, filling her vision, as the rows of teeth unfurled, looking for all the world as if they were reaching out for her.
Suddenly, Bunny realized it wasn't moaning. It was saying her name. Grimacing, she loaded the launcher again, her arms free around his fingers as she struggled to get a deep breath. Enormous as it was, it had to be able to die.
"Fuck you, Peyton!" she gasped, shooting him in the eye.
The grenade exploded and Peyton howled, staggering backwards, releasing her from his grip. Bunny coughed as she struggled to her feet, trying to fill her lungs with air, hoping he hadn't broken any of her ribs. Popping the weapon open, she dropped her last round into it, and leveled it on the monster.
He turned back to her, moaning her name again. She saw the ruined remains of his eye, and fired, the grenade arching perfectly and hitting the mark. Peyton's head exploded, raining gore down on her.
The giant staggered then fell as Bunny tossed the launcher away, and ran to catch up with her friends. Whatever he’d once been, she felt no remorse for having killed Peyton this time. Whatever Pete had done to him, she’d done him a mercy by ending it.
The truth was far simpler than she wanted to admit, though. He’d been a monster in life, not only for what he’d tried to do to her, but what he’d done to Rosa. That he should become such a horrid thing was almost fitting, and that he should die once more by her hand, justice.
Steadily, through the rain and the blood, Bunny made her way onward.
She drew up on the medical tent, the sound of gunfire loud even against the thunder, making her slow and ready her sidearm. Pushing through the back, she found survivors of the attack huddled inside, many of them bleeding from wounds caused by teeth and claws. She gave them a sorrowful look, seeing they knew their fate as she passed through them.
She wanted to offer them words of comfort knowing there weren’t any. What words could ease the horror that awaited them?
Reaching the other side, she found Tanner and Gorman as well as several other soldiers fighting back the never-ending tide. Bunny hesitated a moment then dropped to a knee at Tanner's side, firing into the oncoming crowd.
"We can't hold them," she finally told him as he reloaded his rifle.
"We have to try," he answered.
"We have to leave," Bunny yelled.
"I’ve got wounded here. I’m not leaving them!” Gorman shouted at her.
Bunny stood and reached out to grab her arm. "They’re already dead. We have to go before we join them."
Gorman looked back over her shoulder at the small group of people and saw their resigned expressions. "I can't just leave them."
"Damn it," Tanner said. "We don't have anywhere else to go, Bunny. We're cut off from the landing field."
"Blackhawks are already gone anyway," she told him as she loaded her last clip. "But if we can reach the motor pool, we have a chance."
Gorman shook her head. "I won't."
“Go, doc," one of the wounded soldiers said. "Get out of here. We'll hold them off while you guys escape."
Bunny stared at the man, the deep bite wound on his arm still bleeding. "What's your name?"
"Alex," he told her.
She nodded. "Thank you, Alex."
"Just get the doc out of here," he replied.
Bunny nodded again and secured Gorman by the arm, dragging her away. The Lieutenant fought against her for a moment, but slowly survival instincts started to kick in, and she realized there were no other options. Bunny felt for her, and understood her desire, but time was up, and they had to leave, or die. Tanner fell in beside her as the other soldiers stayed, fighting a losing battle, giving them time to escape. She admired them and wished them well.
Using her gun sparingly, Bunny fought her way through the Shamblers that had filled the Park, Tanner and Gorman right behind her as she ran. Up ahead, she saw their goal, the metal building that held the only chance any of them had for escaping. What she didn't see, was Caroline, Bruno, or Angel.
Gritting her teeth, she pressed on, circling the building, only to find her friends there, with York, Lucy and Williams. The Colonel was barking orders to the few soldiers still alive as the others fought back against the tide of the dead washing towards them.
"Bout time you got here," Caroline snapped.
"Had to pick up some strays," Bunny answered.
"Us too," Bruno said, nodding towards the former officer and his wife.
"Nice party, huh, Sarge?" Tanner said, getting a dark look from York.
Overhead, through the rain, came a Blackhawk, hovering above them like an angel from on high. Bunny looked up at it as they ran a cable
