Read Online Whatever It Takes by Mike Staton - Free Book Online Page B

leads down a back stair. Not entirely sure where it lets out.”
    A crash marked the entrance of the stalkers to the office space. Screeches and growls punched through the air. The carpeted floor of the office would keep bony fingers from making noise as the stalkers approached. The noise of their arrival dropped off sharply.
    “Back stair. At least that way we can funnel them some. I assume it’s closed off, right?” Percival was already leading the way to the other door.
    “The first part is.” Evan pushed past Percival. He toppled sideways with a scream that was difficult to differentiate from the screech of the stalker as it leapt from the shadows and pounced onto him. “Get it off! Get it off!”
    A cacophony of gunfire erupted from Percival, Karl, and Sarah. The stalker gurgled, stopped flailing, and lurched to the side. It fell off of Evan.
    Evan whimpered and didn’t get up. His entire front was splattered with red.
    Percival stepped over him and roughly pulled him up. It was too hard to tell where the stalker’s blood ended and Evan’s began, if any of it was Evan’s to begin with. Percival pulled Evan’s arm across his shoulders and helped him remain standing. The boy was dead weighting even if he was unharmed.
    “Karl, get the rifle and his bag. We’re not leaving him behind. Sarah, door.” Percival’s words were short and terse, fired out in a tone that left no room for imagining them to be anything other than the orders that they were.
    Sarah opened the door and leveled her shotgun at empty space. She then cleared the small room and started down the stairs.
    Percival moved after her, half carrying Evan. He carefully started down the stairs with the kid. Percival concentrated on making it down the stairs, not even bothering to turn around at the sharp sound of the rifle firing behind him. Karl was a competent marksman and Percival trusted him not to do something stupid.
    Percival rounded the landing and started down the second set of stairs. He frowned. Sarah had stopped in front of him. He pushed Evan to the wall and let him gently slide down before moving around Sarah.
    “Oh, great. Barricade,” Percival groaned. Desks and chairs had been stacked at the base of the stairs blocking off the stairwell to the casual walker. “Of course there’s sign of resistance here, in our way.”
    Percival looked down at Evan. He shook his head.
    “Unless he snaps out of it…” Percival trailed off. He looked to Sarah. “Sling your shotgun, grab his legs. We’re not leaving him.”
    “He could be—“
    I don’t give a rat’s ass about ‘could be.’ We’re not leaving him.” Percival turned to face the top of the stairs. “Karl, we need cover.”
    “Comin’,” Karl shouted. His shout was followed by a couple sharp cracks from the hunting rifle. He slammed the door behind him and came trotting down the stairs. “Wounded three, killed at least another one.”
    Percival crouched down and slid his arms underneath Evan’s and lifted. The boy didn’t resist him at all. Sarah bent and picked up Evan’s legs. Together they carried him down the second flight of stairs and to the barricade.
    “Lousy place for a blockade,” Karl muttered. He kept his rifle trained upward, waiting for the stalkers to follow.
    “You’re telling me.” Percival lifted Evan and laid him on the first of several desks. He climbed up and bent to lift Evan again, only to drop him and draw his pistol as another stalker skidded around the landing.
    Karl fired first. The bullet shattered through the stalker’s shoulder, and it spun away, thumping into the wall. Percival squeezed the trigger and put lead down range. Bullets pounded into the stalker, the last splattering brain matter onto the wall.
    Percival released the slide back and holstered his pistol without reloading it. He picked Evan up and stood. “Come on Sarah.”
    Sarah climbed up onto the desk and lifted Evan’s legs again. They slowly began navigating over the