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Authors: Nicholas Ryan
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disappeared round behind the darkened, shadowed shelter of the broken helicopter. I wanted to run after them. Cowardice and regret compounded. I wasn’t made of the right stuff for a heroic last stand. I wanted to run too.
I fired twice more. The gun leaped in my hand and I saw one of the dark savage shapes roll away from the milling gnashing pack.
“Jed?”
I knew he was still nearby. I had heard one of his shots rip the night apart, just a moment after I had fired. His voice came back to me, clear and close.
“Yeah?”
“It’s time to go,” I said. “Where are the others?”
There was a pause, and in that moment of silence I shuffled backwards until I felt the frame of the helicopter press against my legs.
“They’re going back over the fence,” I heard Jed say. He was moving as he spoke, coming closer. Then I saw him round the nose of the helicopter and stride towards me. The ground was a quagmire of rutted muddy troughs from where the helicopter’s crash landing had torn the earth to pieces.
Other undead shapes were filling the skyline, sweeping down from the hillside streets and coming across the field. And I saw more dark movement to our left – just flickering shadows that might have been wind-tossed branches – but might also have been more undead hunting their way towards us from surrounding houses. I’d had enough. My nerves were frayed.
“Let’s get out of here,” I said urgently. “It’s time for a cowardly retreat. We’ve done enough. Time to save our asses.”
I glanced at Jed. The bastard was smiling – not because I was funny, but because he was enjoying himself. I could see it in the glint of his eyes. There was a macabre sense of joy for him in shooting and killing, and I had to grab his arm and push him away into the darkness, even as he continued to fire.
We slipped back into the dark cover of the shadows and I ran like the hounds o f Hell were on my heels. In fact, they probably were. Once the undead body Jed had shot had been torn to pieces, they would want more prey. They seemed possessed by some insane killing frenzy and blood-lust that had shocked and appalled me. I didn’t want to be the next victim.
I heard Jed at my shoulder, his long legs taking big splashing strides. We hit the fence at a run, and he went over like a pole-vaulter, while I slammed into the palings and clambered with frantic, frenzied fingers until I could heave myself over and drop down into the relative safety of the darkened back yard.
Out of the frying pan…
I dropped down into the darkness, remembering the dismembered bodies, and the images of slaughter that I had seen just minutes earlier. I called out to Jed in a strained whisper and waited in the eerie heavy silence for a reply.
“I’m right here,” Jed answered from very close by. His voice was gravel-like. “Next to you.”
I hesitated for a moment. I couldn’t see him. “What are you doing?”
Another long pause, and when he answered, his tone was somehow obscene.
“I’m watching them.”
“What?”
“I’m watching them,” he said with fascination. “They’re at the helicopter.”
“Are… are they coming this way?”
“They’re coming from everywhere.”
“This way?” I felt my strained nerves rise again in alarm.
“ No.” He might have shaken his head. I couldn’t tell.
“What are they doing?”
“The pilot,” Jed said in awe. “They’re tearing the body to pieces. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
I didn’t know what to say – so I said nothing. I crouched there, against the fence , and after another moment I felt Jed crouch down beside me so I could feel his knee against mine. He was breathing hard.
I figured Harrigan would have taken the man and the girl no further than the corner of the house. That meant weaving our way through the tangle of dismembered bodies. For no good reason I glanced up at the sky. It was still raining, and the night was blanketed by the dark scudding shape of
I fired twice more. The gun leaped in my hand and I saw one of the dark savage shapes roll away from the milling gnashing pack.
“Jed?”
I knew he was still nearby. I had heard one of his shots rip the night apart, just a moment after I had fired. His voice came back to me, clear and close.
“Yeah?”
“It’s time to go,” I said. “Where are the others?”
There was a pause, and in that moment of silence I shuffled backwards until I felt the frame of the helicopter press against my legs.
“They’re going back over the fence,” I heard Jed say. He was moving as he spoke, coming closer. Then I saw him round the nose of the helicopter and stride towards me. The ground was a quagmire of rutted muddy troughs from where the helicopter’s crash landing had torn the earth to pieces.
Other undead shapes were filling the skyline, sweeping down from the hillside streets and coming across the field. And I saw more dark movement to our left – just flickering shadows that might have been wind-tossed branches – but might also have been more undead hunting their way towards us from surrounding houses. I’d had enough. My nerves were frayed.
“Let’s get out of here,” I said urgently. “It’s time for a cowardly retreat. We’ve done enough. Time to save our asses.”
I glanced at Jed. The bastard was smiling – not because I was funny, but because he was enjoying himself. I could see it in the glint of his eyes. There was a macabre sense of joy for him in shooting and killing, and I had to grab his arm and push him away into the darkness, even as he continued to fire.
We slipped back into the dark cover of the shadows and I ran like the hounds o f Hell were on my heels. In fact, they probably were. Once the undead body Jed had shot had been torn to pieces, they would want more prey. They seemed possessed by some insane killing frenzy and blood-lust that had shocked and appalled me. I didn’t want to be the next victim.
I heard Jed at my shoulder, his long legs taking big splashing strides. We hit the fence at a run, and he went over like a pole-vaulter, while I slammed into the palings and clambered with frantic, frenzied fingers until I could heave myself over and drop down into the relative safety of the darkened back yard.
Out of the frying pan…
I dropped down into the darkness, remembering the dismembered bodies, and the images of slaughter that I had seen just minutes earlier. I called out to Jed in a strained whisper and waited in the eerie heavy silence for a reply.
“I’m right here,” Jed answered from very close by. His voice was gravel-like. “Next to you.”
I hesitated for a moment. I couldn’t see him. “What are you doing?”
Another long pause, and when he answered, his tone was somehow obscene.
“I’m watching them.”
“What?”
“I’m watching them,” he said with fascination. “They’re at the helicopter.”
“Are… are they coming this way?”
“They’re coming from everywhere.”
“This way?” I felt my strained nerves rise again in alarm.
“ No.” He might have shaken his head. I couldn’t tell.
“What are they doing?”
“The pilot,” Jed said in awe. “They’re tearing the body to pieces. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
I didn’t know what to say – so I said nothing. I crouched there, against the fence , and after another moment I felt Jed crouch down beside me so I could feel his knee against mine. He was breathing hard.
I figured Harrigan would have taken the man and the girl no further than the corner of the house. That meant weaving our way through the tangle of dismembered bodies. For no good reason I glanced up at the sky. It was still raining, and the night was blanketed by the dark scudding shape of
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