Mike opened the wooden door behind the gate and looked out. He saw he was on the side of a cliff, hanging above the water on a wooden platform. Seeing the platform was held together by ropes and solid wood, he wasn't sure if it was safe or not. The rope wasn't decayed, the wood seemed sturdy, so he decided to take his chances.
The wind whistled by him, blowing the smell of salt water into his face. He could hear the waves crashing against the gagged rocks below him. Looking over the side of the cliff, he made a mental note to not fall. Carrying the magnum while keeping it aimed up and ready, he treaded the side of the cliff, waiting for anything to happen. Not to far alone he came to a stop and saw that a gap was between the next platform and his own, with a death drop between.
Placing the gun in his holster, Mike took a few steps back, then jumped across the gap. Being sure to land on his good foot first, he landed safely then continued on with his magnum at the ready. Slowly he rounded the corner of the cliff and saw a trail at the end of the next platform. Above the trail he saw the tip of a cross, and knew he was close to the church. At least he knew he was going the right way.
Just before he was about to take a running start to jump the next gap, he looked to his right. It was a small shack with a doorway without a door, and a small window with no glass. Through the window Mike saw a man, facing the shelves in the shack. Seeing it was a villager, and that he larger than most of the others one he approached the window slowly. Listening in he heard the man grunting, and muttering nothings to himself.
"He's one of them, without a doubt," Mike said then aimed the gun through the window, and shot the man in the back of the head. "Better you than me." Mike said then faced the gap.
The grunting didn't cease. Mike looked through the door as he walked by and saw the man getting to his feet while reaching for something. Probably a weapon. Then he tugged on a chord as the motor started to roar to life. It was a chainsaw. On the shelf the man grabbed a leather sac and placed it over his face then turned around a faced Mike.
"Holy shit!" Mike shouted then fired, hitting him center chest. Didn't even faze him. The man swung the chainsaw and Mike dropped the bag and ducked under the blade that came so close he lost some hair. Mike rolled away from the gap and to the other side of the platform and aimed up. He first hit the man in the arm, and shoulder, and then dodged the blade again.
"The others at least have the decency to fall down," Mike said then hit him in the head. The man fell back, nearly off the platform and rested there for a moment before he attempted to get up again. Mike noted, no matter how big, head shots work.
Mike fired twice, and missed as he began to run. The blade nicked Mike in the arm as he got around him, causing him to fall against the platform. The man stood over him and held the chainsaw up over his head to strike down. As the blade came down it cut a rope supporting the platform, and ropes holding planks together when the blade didn't hit Mike who rolled to the side. The platform gave a screeching creak as it shifted from the unsupported weight of both men.
Mike while on the ground kicked his attacker in the leg, knocking him off balance and wobbling away to regain it. The platform shifted more and he fell back and crashed to the ground, snapping some of the ropes and causing the platform to dip. Mike's bag began to slide down slowly, as Mike got to his feet and noticed.
"Not again," Mike said, not in the mood to lose all of his gear again just when he had recovered it. The change of weight snapped another rope and more of the platform dipped and went off balance, increasing the incline and making his gear slide faster. Mike held onto a rope for support and slowly crept for his bag, and in doing so, completely forgot about someone trying to kill him.
The man with the chainsaw was hanging off the end of the platform, one hand gripping the edge, the other on the still spinning chainsaw. Another rope snapped and the half of the platform with the bag broke into a ninety degree angle. Mike dove and caught the strap of the bag and grabbed the end of the platform. Suddenly he remembered he wasn't the only one here.
Mike looked to his left and the saw his attacker getting ready to hit him with the saw. Mike swung the bag hard enough to release the mans grip, sending him falling to the gagged rocks below. Looking down, he saw the man splatter on impact, and then get swept up by a wave, with no evidence of his death besides a bloody little stain. With one problem taken care of, Mike decided to figure out a way to not join him.
Mike could have held on the platform for several minutes to devise a plan. He just wasn't so sure the platform could hold him for that long. Every time he tried to move he heard it creak slightly. Seeing the half of the platform that was secure enough, he flung the bag to its edge so he could climb with two hands. All of the planks were smooth with only inches between them, so finding a climbing surface was half of the challenge. The side of the platform was only five feet above him, three feet out of his reach.
Finding foot placement on the side of the cliff Mike climbed up as far as he could. Now the platform was a foot out of his reach. Mike's platform creaked more, but didn't shift. Not much longer before it shifted into the rocks. Using his free hand he pulled out his survival knife and stabbed it between the board, hoping to catch a support beam. It caught one a little lower than he liked but he used it as leverage and pulled himself up a little. The platform was only inches away now.
Kicking off the wall he managed to get the extra inch he need to get one palm on the platform. Throwing the knife up he placed the other palm on and began to pull himself up. Rolling onto the platform he lay next to the bag and began to try to regain regular breathing. After a minute Mike stood up and threw the bag across the much larger gap. The shack was built on the side of the cliff on rocks, so it was still standing. Seeing the edge of the shack was wide enough to walk on, Mike hugged the wall till he picked up his bag and began up the path to the church.
The path was short and Mike was soon on the side of the church looking at the bell tower. Nothing interesting to see. The village was a little pass the church, so he aimed his walking toward the rusty gate that was left open. Looking around the corner, he stopped and kept himself out of view.
Around the corner was at least two dozen men and woman ready to bar his path. It was as if they knew he was coming that way. Footsteps were coming his way, but he didn't think they had seen him. A man stepped out of the gate and looking around. With nothing to hide behind Mike aimed the gun up and fired, hitting the man in the head and dropping him. They knew he was there now.
Mike took the shotgun from the bag and stepped into the gate and fired, knocking back several of them. Cocking and firing wasn't fast enough to hold them back as Mike back stepped toward the church door. With the gun up he climbed up the steps and tried the door, but it wouldn't budge. The villagers surrounded the steps, but didn't charge, as if they were trying to come to an agreement of how to kill him. One villager stepped up and Mike shot him, while holding the gun against them. It was hopeless.
Suddenly the steel door at the side of the church opened and a man stepped out. Mike looked over to him and saw he was wearing an outfit similar to his while holding a flash bomb.
"Shield your eyes!" The man shouted then pulled the pin. He chucked it into the crowd then stepped back into the room as Mike covered his eyes with his arm.
The bomb ignited with a blinding flash, immobilizing the villages. Mike jumped from the platform and pushed his way through the disabled and out of the corner. Running toward the gate to escape down the right path, he saw more people running through the graveyard. Seeing the open door he looked at the man in the doorway.
"Get in here now!" The man shouted at Mike while he held the door open. Mike pivoted back and ran into the room. Together the men barricaded the door with whatever they could use and a moment later felt them pounding to get in. Mike pushed his weight against the door while the other man placed a board against the doorknob to spike it shut, and then began to stack the barrels and boxes against it.
Even though they couldn't get in they didn't give up on pounding at the door.
"Are there any windows?" Mike asked.
"Took care of that already," The man said then climbed through the shattered stain glass window and into the church. Mike climbed after him, the glass crunching beneath his boots.
"Who are you?" Mike asked.
"Captain Theo Riggs, you?" Theo asked as he sat in one of the pews and lit a cigarette. He offered one to Mike who took it and caught the lighter Theo threw to him.
"Captain Michael Anderson, American?" Mike asked. Theo pointed at the patch on his arm which was the American flag.
"I was under orders to retrieve an agent and his subject of rescue. I got shot down not to far from here, and I took refuge in the church. No radio to contact help sadly. Let me guess, you were my replacement after my failure?" Theo asked.
"Something like that. I was shot down at the island fortress a little off the coast. It's been hell getting here," Mike said then inhaled the cigarette.
"I could imagine. I tried fighting some of these things, inhuman resistance to injury. I shot a man in the head and he kept coming, took three to keep him down," Theo said then knocked the ashes from the end of his smoke onto the ground.
"I've fought worse so far. Want to check in?" Mike asked then opened the bag and showed him the radio.
"Don't mind if I do," Theo said then hit the button, "This is Captain Theodore Riggs reporting in, I'm alive with minor injuries and in need of extraction, over."
"We were working on what to say to your wife, where is your location?" Hunnigan asked.
"In the church, taking cover with Captain Anderson. We're surrounded by hostiles and we need support, over," Theo said then looked over at Mike who listened to the people outside.
"Negative, the pilot can't get over the church. You'll need to find a way out," Hunnigan asked.
"Why?" Theo asked.
"Electrical interference is shutting down any attempt to get near it, it's a dead zone over there for unknown reasons. The village is the only safe extraction point in your area. Should I tell the pilot to wait since you two seem a little tied up?"
"That'd be nice, we'll call you back when we're there, so for now, be patient," Theo said then tossed the radio to Mike.
"Got any idea's, I'm not so sure how long that door is going to hold," Mike said then looked at the shattered glass.
"We'll block the window with pews and form a line here," Theo said then stepped between the pillars on the opposite side.
"They'll bottle neck and we can take out as many as possible. If they break the line?" Mike asked.
"When they break the line, we fall back and go to the second level. Now here's the tricky part, getting out. We can't stay here. The main door is locked from the inside, and is straight down the center of the pews. The chandelier goes up and down. When we have to go back down, we lower the chandelier and slide down the chain to the main floor. We unlock the door if they haven't already done that, and make a run for it. Hopefully when we get out there there are not too many of them left."
"You planned this?" Mike asked, since it seemed well organized.
"I've been in here for about eight hours, I had to do something," Theo said then leaned against the pillar.
"What are you packing?" Mike asked. Theo held up his pistol and shrugged.
"The flaw in my plan," Theo said and chuckled.
"Here," Mike said then opened the bag. He tossed Theo a spare magnum and a TMP, along with some grenades.
"Where did you get this?" Theo asked, while eying the Killer7.
"Found it," Mike said then reloaded his shotgun and magnum to full capacity.
"Let's get the pews into position," Theo said then placed the gun in his waist and began to set up the battle ground.
Okay, this is the first time I've ever asked the audience for what to do with a character. The new character Theo is going to be a little surprising. I want opinions if he should be a good guy, or a bad guy. Whether he is good or bad won't ultimately change the ending for him, but it will certainly be a different path of getting there.