on
campus who can use our help, Carlie,” said Eliza, whose eyes continued to grow
wider.
“I agree, but there’s only—” She paused,
looking at Phillip, who was approaching from the other room. “Only one of me,
and you and the professor are my primary concerns right now. When
reinforcements arrive, we can round up any other students we find.”
Eliza’s adamant glare eased up. “I’m not
trying to be a pain in the ass, really, I’m not. I know you and the other
agents always saw me like that but I just feel like we should be doing more
than crawling under a rock to hide.”
“Eliza, you didn’t witness the craze of
attackers I killed in the science building and you probably didn’t see the battle
unfold around the other agents on your protective detail. Hiding out is exactly
what we need to be doing right now until the tactical advantage swings in our
direction.”
Carlie could see a look of helplessness
washing over Eliza’s face and realized she needed to occupy her with something
that could contribute to the group’s wellbeing. “Right now, the best thing you
can do for us is to scour through the cabinets and supplies here and assemble
anything that can be of value to us, got it?”
Eliza nodded and unfolded her arms,
looking over at the professor, who had stepped forward. “I’ll give you a hand, Eliza,”
he said, and they both walked into the adjoining room.
Carlie began thrusting her weapons back
in their holsters and stuffing the remaining magazines in her vest. Then she
stood up and met Phillip, who was returning from the back room.
“Agent Simmons, are you red-faced
because of the heat or did I miss something?” he said.
“Being hardheaded can be a good thing,
especially for a woman, but right now, I just need Eliza to be a capable
follower,” she said, rolling her eyes. “How’s the area outside look?”
“It’s about one hundred meters to the
SUVs. There are a few of those infected things wandering around between us but
not like the numbers we saw earlier. There are several large cement flower
gardens interspersed along the walkway and a couple of park benches. If you can
bound between the flower gardens, you should have ample cover until the last
third, when it’ll have to be an all-out sprint to the vehicles.”
“Sounds like fun. I mean, who wouldn’t
want to run an urban obstacle course with dead cannibals pawing at your sides?”
Phillip emitted a half-smile, which put
a crease in his pasty cheeks. “You’ve gotten us this far and the army or somebody
should be here soon, right?”
Carlie watched his fingers nervously
flutter on the strap of his weapon and could see the terror in his eyes. He
comes out here to grill me and try to toss my career in the hole, and now he’s
sidling up next to me. What a gimp — and I have to trust my back to this
guy. I just hope he remembers how to distinguish the good guys from the bad
guys in a firefight.
“Time to roll,” she said, moving over to
the tool rack in the maintenance closet and pulling down a garden shovel. “This
might be a better tactical choice than my firearms, so I don’t bring any
unwanted attention. At least until I can get to my pistol suppressor in the
vehicle.”
They walked over to the side exit, which
was nestled along the rear of the building. Carlie gently opened the door an
inch and peered through the crack. Immediately before her was a small grove of
palm trees and low shrubs which skirted along the right side of the arboretum
for twenty feet. The air creeping in carried the pleasant fragrance of sweet
lilac flowers coupled with the repulsive odor of baked flesh from the bodies
littering the hot cement. Her mind struggled to focus on the lilacs but the
other smell stabbed through the warm night air, quickly removing any trace of
comfort that this was all a bad dream.
She squatted down and continued opening
the door while creeping out onto the walkway. Phillip stood in the doorway,
slightly off
campus who can use our help, Carlie,” said Eliza, whose eyes continued to grow
wider.
“I agree, but there’s only—” She paused,
looking at Phillip, who was approaching from the other room. “Only one of me,
and you and the professor are my primary concerns right now. When
reinforcements arrive, we can round up any other students we find.”
Eliza’s adamant glare eased up. “I’m not
trying to be a pain in the ass, really, I’m not. I know you and the other
agents always saw me like that but I just feel like we should be doing more
than crawling under a rock to hide.”
“Eliza, you didn’t witness the craze of
attackers I killed in the science building and you probably didn’t see the battle
unfold around the other agents on your protective detail. Hiding out is exactly
what we need to be doing right now until the tactical advantage swings in our
direction.”
Carlie could see a look of helplessness
washing over Eliza’s face and realized she needed to occupy her with something
that could contribute to the group’s wellbeing. “Right now, the best thing you
can do for us is to scour through the cabinets and supplies here and assemble
anything that can be of value to us, got it?”
Eliza nodded and unfolded her arms,
looking over at the professor, who had stepped forward. “I’ll give you a hand, Eliza,”
he said, and they both walked into the adjoining room.
Carlie began thrusting her weapons back
in their holsters and stuffing the remaining magazines in her vest. Then she
stood up and met Phillip, who was returning from the back room.
“Agent Simmons, are you red-faced
because of the heat or did I miss something?” he said.
“Being hardheaded can be a good thing,
especially for a woman, but right now, I just need Eliza to be a capable
follower,” she said, rolling her eyes. “How’s the area outside look?”
“It’s about one hundred meters to the
SUVs. There are a few of those infected things wandering around between us but
not like the numbers we saw earlier. There are several large cement flower
gardens interspersed along the walkway and a couple of park benches. If you can
bound between the flower gardens, you should have ample cover until the last
third, when it’ll have to be an all-out sprint to the vehicles.”
“Sounds like fun. I mean, who wouldn’t
want to run an urban obstacle course with dead cannibals pawing at your sides?”
Phillip emitted a half-smile, which put
a crease in his pasty cheeks. “You’ve gotten us this far and the army or somebody
should be here soon, right?”
Carlie watched his fingers nervously
flutter on the strap of his weapon and could see the terror in his eyes. He
comes out here to grill me and try to toss my career in the hole, and now he’s
sidling up next to me. What a gimp — and I have to trust my back to this
guy. I just hope he remembers how to distinguish the good guys from the bad
guys in a firefight.
“Time to roll,” she said, moving over to
the tool rack in the maintenance closet and pulling down a garden shovel. “This
might be a better tactical choice than my firearms, so I don’t bring any
unwanted attention. At least until I can get to my pistol suppressor in the
vehicle.”
They walked over to the side exit, which
was nestled along the rear of the building. Carlie gently opened the door an
inch and peered through the crack. Immediately before her was a small grove of
palm trees and low shrubs which skirted along the right side of the arboretum
for twenty feet. The air creeping in carried the pleasant fragrance of sweet
lilac flowers coupled with the repulsive odor of baked flesh from the bodies
littering the hot cement. Her mind struggled to focus on the lilacs but the
other smell stabbed through the warm night air, quickly removing any trace of
comfort that this was all a bad dream.
She squatted down and continued opening
the door while creeping out onto the walkway. Phillip stood in the doorway,
slightly off
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