with.
“Tell you what Randy, if we get out of this, I will talk it over with you.”
“Jesus, you are cold! I was more hoping to squeeze you into an undying outpouring of love you would be too embarrassed to go back on later.”
“That is why you love me babe.”
“Yeah, why I love you.” Randy said, with only a trace of bitterness.
“They figure out where we are yet?” asked Katie pointing to Randy's fiber optic cord.
He shook his head, “No, the suits must be working.” both of them were dressed in an outer layer of thin material that the army claimed would bend light around the wearer, therefore, making them blend into their surroundings like a chameleon with the added benefit of dispersing their heat patterns into a form that didn't show up like a normal human's. Katie had seen soldiers using the camo suits and hadn't been very impressed, but they seemed to work wonders against the undead. The suits were not some fantasy 'invisibility cloak' out of the story books, but based on real world physics with a moderate power consumption. The military prototypes has insisted that the suits either use off the shelf power sources or be rechargeable in the field. Katie and Randy wore the self recharging models, which had worked great in broad daylight when the sun could hit the power cells built into the shoulders. Both of them were worried about what happened in the early morning, the batteries were only good for about four hours in the shade or after the sun went down. Supposedly the suits offered some protection even when not powered, but neither of them were looking forward to testing that theory.
“Two hours until sundown.” Randy said.
“Ask for orders about what to do.”
Randy turned back to the radio and was soon engaged in a conversation, after a few minutes he turned back to her. “They want us to sit tight.”
“Hah! I could have predicted that. You gonna call for artillery fire on the mob down there now that we took out the fast zombie?”
“I was thinking about it.”
“What is wrong?”
“It isn't doing any good. Every rain of fire I bring down, it kills or disables a lot of zombies, but more just rush out to take their place. It is like bailing out the ocean, no matter how much you work at it there is just more goddamned sea water filling the void.”
“That is why we get the big bucks; to fight hopeless battles.”
“No we get the big bucks to go in with overwhelming force, kick ass and pick up the pieces afterward, not for this shit.”
“Well, I don't think we can 'sit tight'. Even stupid zombies get lucky sometimes and that wasn't the last fast one I killed in that mob. I know they have shadows trying to pinpoint us.”
“I haven't seen any.”
“Look harder. I know there was one in that building across the way and if it gets up to the roof we will be exposed here.” The building Katie was talking about was taller than the one they were currently on top of, anyone higher up than them could see them easily. Leaning back so her rifle would not project above the low wall around the roof, Katie pointed the barrel at the floors looming higher than them across the street and began looking for the zombies she knew were there somewhere.
Randy sighed and adjusted his fiber optics cord to scan the building as well, “There ain't nothing there. Some of the zombies are faster is all, some a little smarter, but they don't have tactics or strategy, they are just mindless…”
A bullet ricocheted off the top of the wall next to the fiber optic cable.
“Fuck! Friendly fire! Someone is shooting at us!” From where the bullet had hit Katie knew the shot had come from the other building, she switched to scanning the roof, trying to think of where she would be if she were in the shooter's position. Katie continued to lay on her back on the roof moving just enough to shift her rifle's scope to the rooftop.
“It isn't 'friendly fire', it is the sniper I knew they would send. What is the mob doing down in the street.”
Randy looked at here with wide scared eyes, “What? Why?”
“What I would do is distract us by having some moron who doesn't know shit about sniping and then send the mob up the stairs to finish us off. Are they moving?”
Fiddling with his optics, Randy let out a low moan, “Oh fuck…they are moving to our side of the street.”
“Then they are coming up here and we need to leave. Now.”
“What about their sniper?”
“He ain't no sniper, maybe a rifleman at best. And I don't think he can see us. I think the suits are working. I think he saw our shit, my rifle, your vision gear and took a shot at that.”
“So we run?”
“Climb, the ropes are too goddamned heavy to tote around with us, so we'll use them now and leave them.” When they had been dropped onto the roof they had come with complete packs, in addition each team was given ropes, a harness and climbing gear, which weighed about fifteen pounds.
“Katie, I haven't climbed since….aw hell I don't know when!”
“You think I have? These guys are going to be coming up the stairs, we have the door blocked, but I think they will get through it eventually. So we have to go down the other side of the building.”
“It is six stories!”
“Whine, whine, bitch, bitch. Don't you ever shut up? Grow a pair boy, 'cause it is the only way we are getting out of here!”
“Goddamn it. Fine, but if I die I will haunt you forever.”
“Fair enough. Let's go.” They hastily picked up their gear and ran towards the far side of the roof. “Head for the area behind the access door!” Katie shouted as they ran. The area she was referring to should provide them with some cover from whomever was on the opposite roof. As if to punctuate her words another shot slammed into the roof not too far in front of her, followed by two more in rapid succession.
“See?” she said, “He ain't no sniper, he is, at best, a rifleman. A sniper would not have taken shots at us while we were moving.” They had their backs to the wall the access door was built into, both were breathing heavily despite the short run.
Randy smiled at her, leaned over and gave her a quick kiss. Katie pulled back surprised, “What was that for?”
“I am going to do that whenever I think I am about to die from now on, so at least I will die happy.”
“So you want to have your lips on me all the time then?”
“Ideally.”
“Later Romeo. Lets get the gear ready and rappel down.” Katie bent over and started unzipping the large duffel bags with the ropes. Randy eased over to the edge slowly and looked into the alley behind the building.
“Clear?”
“Only one or two.” He responded.
“Good enough, any cars or anything down there for us to steal?” She tossed him a climbing harness.
“Not even a bicycle.”
“Damn. Fuck, look at this shit. We have gear for four people. At least we will have enough rope. We'll toss the unused stuff down when we go and take it with us in case we have to climb again.”
“We could use one rope.” Randy suggested as he watched her tie a second one off on some pipes near the edge of the roof. Just then something hit the door on the roof, which was just around the corner from where they were.
“Well if you really think would could take turns….”
“Fuck no! Tie them both!” Randy tossed their gear into the large bag the rope had come out of, then attached the bag to his harness.
The pounding on the door increased and they heard a ping as something broke, then gunfire from inside the building. Randy swung himself over the edge and disappeared from view, leaving Katie to mumble, “What? No kiss?” to herself with smile.
Six stories was much shorter than either of them had thought it would be, in less than a minute they were
