Dead Ones

Chapter 27: Swarm

My eyes slowly opened to the morning light. The cold hard ground I was laying on became ever more present as my brain woke up fully. I sat upright with a groan of pain. I looked to my left. No one to be seen. I looked to my right. Sophie was sitting on the edge of the fountain, eating a piece of bread and drinking out of the cup of a thermos. I stood painfully. I walked over to her slowly. "Good morning," she said through a mouthful of bread. "How long have you been sitting there?" I asked. "Not long, about an hour," she said. "I saw you laying there, all curled up like a lost puppy. Thought I'd keep you company," she added. I glared at her. "What? You asked, I answered," she said. I bent down and picked up her thermos and took a sip from it. It was water. I poured some of the liquid onto my hand and rubbed it on my face. "Are you ready for today?" she asked me. "Are you?" I retaliated. "I can manage," she said. "Not too long ago you were on bed rest," I said. "I'm a quick healer," she said sarcastically. I raised an eyebrow at her. "I'll be fine, really!" she reassured me. "I'm down a primary weapon," I said. "What happened to it?" she asked. "Took a bullet for me," I said. "Do you wanna borrow mine?" she asked. "Nah, I'll be alright. Did you and the others bring ammo when you came?" I asked. "What, do you think I'm stupid?" she asked, mockingly offended. I shrugged. "Yes, we brought ammo," she said. "How much .45 ACP do you guys have?" I asked. "How much do you need?" she asked. "Enough," I said. "We have a few boxes of fifty rounds each and a bunch of spare magazines," she said. "Mind if I take a bunch of that ammo and a couple of magazines with it?" I asked. "How much?" she asked. "Let's say a box of ammo and five mags," I said. "You're really using that old thing as a primary?" she asked, pointing to the pistol on my hip. "It's gotten me this far. Paired up with my knife and machete I should do just fine. It's less to carry anyway," I said. She looked at me skeptically. Seven rounds compared to thirty was a big difference. "I'll make you a deal," I said. "I'm listening," she said. "If I get a primary weapon from someone I know here, would you stop looking at me like that?" I said. "Sure," she said. David appeared, walking over to us. "Sorry to cut things short, but everyone is ready to get going at your word," he said to me. He was holding his compound bow at a resting position and had his mace at his side. I turned back to Sophie briefly for a moment. "You're skeptical of me using a handgun as a primary when this man is using a bow and is doing just fine," I said jokingly. She rolled her eyes at me. "Anyway, let me go pack and I'll be right with you all," I said. With that, I left the two and headed to the room I was using to sleep in. On my way I picked up the ammo boxes and magazines. The metal mags were clinking around in my pockets as I walked. I got to my room and laid out my gear on my bed. I began loading all of my magazines, new and old. When all of the mags were full I tucked the rest of the spare ammo in a small bag, which contained the research journal on the dead ones. I holstered the pistol and began tucking magazines in my waistband, pockets, or anywhere else they would fit and were easily accessible. I tucked any loose belongings into the small bag and slung it over my head so that the strap crossed my chest. The bag sat nicely behind the position on my belt where the machete rested on my left. I removed my mask from my side and rested it on top of my head. All of the front of my body was armored except that one spot on my right thigh where I removed the armored plate which was split in two. My back was relatively exposed besides the back plate of the vest. I tucked the ring on the necklace under my shirt and walked out of my room. By the time I returned to the center of the town, a majority of the people were already gathered there, thanks to Sophie. I stepped to the fountain and turned to face everyone. "Y'all ready to finish this?" I said. Some of the people cheered. Many were too tired to react enthusiastically. Juggernaut was nearly jumping out of his boots with excitement. The big man craved action. I didn't blame him. The normal world was quite boring for civilians. "The wounded or unfit will be sent back to the refuge," I said. Stray was included in that bunch of people. "Who would like to volunteer to take the people back?" I asked. Doctor Charles raised his hand. "No, I need you here, where people might get hurt," I said. Abby slowly raised her hand. "You can take them?" I asked. "I don't like fighting much anyway," she said shakily. The poor girl was decently messed up from the fight with the people of the Hive. Her face was still speckled with dried blood. A haunted look was now present on her face that wasn't there before. A look someone gets when they have to kill another human being for the first time. "I'll go with her and back her up," Tasha said. Tasha seemed to have a thing for Stray, so I didn't blame her for wanting to go back to safety with him. "You both can rally up the wounded and head back now then," I said. I turned to the group of the wounded. "Stray," I called out. He raised his head weakly. "Yeah?" he whispered. "You still got that double barrel, right?" I asked. He pointed to a bag in the back of a nearby truck that some of the wounded were being gently lifted into. His flamethrower sat next to it. I walked over to the bag and grabbed the shotgun out of it. I went back to the fountain. I looked over at Sophie. She rolled her eyes at me again. I smirked slightly. I waited until the wounded were loaded up and the two vehicles that would take them home, and their vehicles began to leave. I reached into the fountain's shallow water and pulled the sack out of it once again. I tied it shut with some twine and fastened it to my bag's strap. I flicked open the shotgun quickly. It was loaded. I closed it again. "Everyone get to your vehicles. We're headin' out!" I shouted. I raised the shotgun in the air and pulled both triggers at once. A loud blast filled the air, followed by a large jet of sparks. The ammo in the gun was some of the incendiary rounds Stray put in it. I popped open the gun, which ejected the shells. I walked over to John before he got the chance to wander off too far when going to his car. "Got any spare shells?" I asked him. He was the only person here besides Mack that actually enjoyed using shotguns. I only used them if I had to, but I figured I'd try my hand at them one last time. He removed a backpack from his back and dug inside it for a minute. He pulled out a full box of buckshot and handed it to me. I popped open a lower pocket of my pants and poured the shells inside. I pulled two shells and loaded them into the shotgun. I closed the pouch of my pants. "Save driving," he said to me. I didn't say anything, but acknowledged with a nod. I walked over to an empty car and got into the driver's seat. I fired up the engine. Anyone who wished to drive with me could if they wanted to. Seeing that my car was empty, a few people looking for empty vehicles got inside. Maria sat in the passenger seat. Willow got into the seat behind me. Her presence there made the hair on my neck stand on end. I haven't fully trusted her yet. The last person to get into the car made it sag on its suspension slightly. The big man Juggernaut with his machine gun got into the back. The man nearly took up the entire back seats, barely giving any leg room to Willow. He had to sit hunched over because of himself being so tall. "Aw man! I shouldda gone in the Humvee!" he complained because of the cramped space. I turned my head back to look at him and stuck my tongue out through the open space in my cheek. The big man scowled and slumped in his seat. I pressed the gas and we left the town for the last time. As we drove down the dusty roads and the walls of the town became more and more faint to the horizon, I felt nothing for the small settlement, nor did I feel anything for the lives lost there...

It was not long until we finally arrived at the quarry. The ruins below were still smoldering slightly, but the big tower of billowing smoke was gone. We parked our vehicles near the entrance to the quarry and got out of them. Juggernaut stretched his large body out from being cramped up in the car for the trip. I walked to the quarry edge and surveyed the carnage. I was satisfied with my work. I spit over the edge and down into the blackened pit. I turned around to face the others. They all seemed to be staring at something near the quarry's edge. I turned to look at what everyone was staring at. John was relieving himself over the quarry edge. "Seriously?" I said. "What?! A mans gotta go when a mans gotta go!" he defended himself. "At least he's getting it out of his system now and not when we are walking through the woods," Aaron said. "Oh I'm gonna have to go again in about thirty minutes," John said, zipping up his fly. I glared at him. "Hey, when you told me to prepare for battle today, I did exactly that!" he said. "How much have you had to drink?" I asked. "Only a few beers," he said. "Mhm," I said, disbelieving. "Who's ready for our nature walk?" I asked. "I like nature," Juggernaut said happily. I couldn't help but smile. I liked him. "Which direction is the mountain from here?" I asked Willow. "North," she said, pointing me the way. "You heard her. Let's go North," I said. With that, we all began the steady pursuit in the designated direction. It didn't take long for our group to reach the tree line. The terrain underneath the cover of the leaves was rougher than the barren landscape surrounding the quarry. Although it was broad daylight out, the land under the trees was darker. Small bushes of thorns grew everywhere you stepped. There were rocks. Some small, some large, all scattered about. A stream trickled somewhere nearby. It was eerily quiet. Too quiet. The usual paranoia kicked in. The kind you get when you go somewhere unfamiliar alone and you feel like you're being watched. You turn your back and check your surroundings. Usually, it's nothing. But sometimes, there really is something watching you. I got the same feeling at this place. The only difference was, I wasn't alone. "You feel that too?" I whispered to John. "That odd feelin' in your nuts? Yeah, I feel it too," he whispered back. "I was thinking more like a gut feeling that we're being watched, but okay," I whispered. I surveyed our surroundings as we navigated the brush. The paranoia got to the point where I felt like seeing shadows ducking behind every tree. I tapped myself on the top of my head with my palm and shook my head aggressively. I opened my eyes and looked around again. I still saw things moving. Maybe I was crazy. I almost believed it. Before dismissing the idea, I thought I heard movement besides my group. I raised my hand for everyone to stop moving. Absolute silence fell over the area. I heard a twig snap in the distance. All guns pointed in that direction. John whistled his old hunting call we used to identify each other or get each other's attention in the service. It was a quick high and low pitched note. I respond with two quicker lower pitched notes. He pointed to a nearby tree. There were deep scoring gashes in the trunk. I crossed my arms and scratched at my chest twice while tilting my head in a questioning manner. That was sign language for 'bear?'. John shook his head. Another twig snapped, closer this time. I held my hand up in a 'hold your fire' manner. Suddenly there was rustling all around us. Dead ones that had buried themselves emerged from the dirt or shrubbery around us. There was a heavy stepped crashing noise coming from the direction of the snapping twigs. An all too familiar call that made my spine chill and hair stand on end could be heard echoing through the trees. When the source of the crashing became present, my blood began to boil with anger. Bladed long arms clung tightly as the monstrous creature leapt from tree trunk to tree trunk, screaming all the way. A sense of terror and betrayal flowed over me overwhelmingly. The Screamer got too close for comfort. It finally stopped swinging from tree to tree and landed mere feet from me. When it stopped making its calls, the sound of hundreds of footsteps and whispers could be heard off in the distance, approaching rapidly. "Why have you come to us?" I asked it. "Need more," it snarled. "More what?" I asked, raising my shotgun at it. "Us," it said. The dead ones that rose from the soil around us began walking towards whomever they were closest to. Gunshots started to echo around the forest. The Screamer mounted a tree closest to it and began climbing upwards. I looked out into the distant trees as far as I could see. A great number of the dead were approaching us. Some of them were more obvious than others because they were sporting metal weapons and armor. There were too many of them to count. "Take out the nearest dead ones to you, then direct all fire in that direction!" I shouted to the others. Despite our technological advances compared to the primitive nature of our enemies, we were outnumbered. Bound to be swarmed shortly, I questioned whether or not we would even make it to finish off Hexblade and the others...