11th April 2008
10:00am Algonquin, Liberty City
(139 hours quarantine remaining)
As Mallorie Bardas stood on the safe side of the river, on the other, standing in the midst of a mob of a few dozen panicked survivors and police officers, Niko and Roman had a much more pressing matter to deal with. Above them rose the curved steel and brick form of the Algonquin Bridge, the double roadway blocked by a small barricade of NOOSE vans, concrete traffic barriers and barbed wire, protected by a group of LCPD officers and NOOSE soldiers in battered armour, hefting their guns at the crowd before them.
And yet, as the crowd continued to scream at the officers to let them through, and Roman shouted in his ear, Niko only had eyes for the horde of undead stumbling up the highway. Past the dozens of abandoned vehicles spilling out across both lanes of the highway, the zombies shambled closer, only a hundred metres or so away. Although everyone there knew of the approaching tide of the undead, they were too busy shouting and pushing at the barricades to try and escape. There was only one way for them to go, and the police knew that as they sent another barrage of warning shots overhead.
"Niko we need to run!" Roman cried out, pushing aside a group of young men trying to grab his and Niko's weapons. After leaving Jacob at the Zion survivor settlement the two men, armed with nothing more than two handguns, thinking that anything else would get them shot by the bridge guards, had been making their way here for the past few hours. Niko had felt such a crushing sense of dread when he had realised nothing was getting them through the formidable defences around Algonquin, and was now wishing they had stuck with Jacob. He couldn't blame the man for wanting to stay at Zion and help his people, but just wished now he had considered taking some more powerful weaponry from the Yardies well stocked armoury.
He was snapped out of his thoughts by the whirring of helicopter blades overhead and the dark shadow of a NOOSE Annihilator thundering overhead, an officer leaning out the side cabin doors with megaphone in hand as the rest of his squad trained their rifles downward.
"Do not attempt to cross the bridges!" the officer shouted down, his voice garbled and distorted, but the metallic sound of two heavy calibre mounted machine guns, which Niko guessed had been installed for 'anti-terrorism' ,being readied, was more threatening.
He saw the police captain with his own megaphone, standing behind a line of officers armed with riot shields and shotguns, pale faced as he looked up, his hat blown off by the winds whipped up by the helicopter hovering above. Storming through the crowd, pulling Roman along behind him, Niko started shouting at the captain, the riot police only giving him looks of confusion before returning to simultaneously watching the crowd of survivors and the horde of undead.
"Let us past captain." He said simply, but the captain, far from shouting back,only shook his head slowly, his face white as the NOOSE commander in the helicopter above shouted more threats to anyone attempting to cross.
"Wish I could…" He replied with a sigh, his hands gripping his rifle and ignoring the shouts of the crowd.
"Those fucking zombies are so close now man! Just open the barricade!"
"And what?" The officer replied with a shout, gripping his weapon even tighter. "Let everyone get…"
He never spoke again. But it wasn't a bullet that struck him in the chest. It was a ball of acid. As Niko and the others watched in horror, for a second the only sound was the sizzling fizz of the green acid and the crackle as the officer's clothing and flesh burnt off in waves as he howled in agony.
"Fucking run!" Someone further down the road shouted, moments before the horde engulfed him, the small scuttling zombies leaping and sprinting forward on all fours as undead dogs and other animals ran ahead of them, ignoring the bullets slamming into the vehicles and ground around them fired by the frantic survivors and police. The entire back end of the huddled survivors was swept aside in seconds, the ones further up stampeding forwards, trampling down anyone unfortunate enough to slow down or fall.
As the police opened fire straight into the crowd, the heavy duty riot shotguns blasting through human and undead alike, Niko started to climb the barricade, dragging Roman behind him as he shoved aside a screaming officer frantically reloading his shotgun before two desperate survivors started wrestling with the officer for the gun. When they were atop one of the NOOSE vans forming the barricade, he glanced back for a second and wished he hadn't.
Although many of the crowd had managed to forced aside the thin line of police many others were still being slaughtered on the highway. Niko saw a woman pulled to the ground and literally torn limb from limb by three of the scuttling zombies, whilst an undead NOOSE officer staggered towards a group of young men in tracksuits, their small calibre Glock pistol rounds ricocheting from the zombie's thick armour and striking other survivors. He turned away and leapt down onto the bridge itself as he saw the first of the gangsters tackled to the ground by the undead NOOSE officer and four others in ragged business suits but he still heard the sharp crack of the man's ribcage being opened.
"Cousin!" Roman was shouting, his eyes wide, and Niko nodded slowly. He needed to think about keeping himself and Roman alive. They ran across the bridge, dodging around burnt out cars, the heavy breathing and shouts of the other survivors running behind them echoing in Niko's ears. They were almost halfway, just past a large grey bus lying on its side, when the whir of helicopter blades once more roared overhead.
"Shit." Niko cursed as the NOOSE Annihilator rose up to the left from under the bridge, the officer with the megaphone once more repeating his orders as the door gunner next to him cracked his knuckles and readied the heavy machine gun.
"Keep running!" Niko bellowed, as much at the people following as Roman. Up ahead the concrete and steel gates loomed, the shouts of a crowd beyond just audible, although whether they were encouraging or telling the survivors to stay away Niko didn't know. Turning he fired a quick shot from his Desert Eagle, watching one of the zombies at the front fall and disappear beneath the feet of its undead comrades. The zombies themselves weren't exactly running, but at the same time these were not the shambling corpses of old B movies, Niko thought. The stumbling run the undead kept at was slower than Niko and the other survivors, but he knew that, once the small band of survivors reached that gate, they would most likely be shot by the guards or torn apart by their pursuers.
"Cousin, we should jump!" Roman said from next to him, pointing at the edge of the bridge, and for a second Niko thought about that. Then he saw another survivor try it, and be followed off the edge by two undead. By the time that man recovered from the fall he would most likely be torn apart. And where would they swim to? Niko was definetly not returning to Broker, and the twenty metre high concrete walls around Algonquin stretched right to the waterline.
But any other thoughts about escape were lost as the Annihilator swooped down to their level, flying just a few metres off the edge of the bridge, the door gunner and other NOOSE troopers aiming out.
"This is your final warning!" came the garbled shout from the helicopter. "Any attempts to cross the bridge will be met by lethal force!"
As he said this Niko saw another helicopter on the other side of the bridge, and only had time to grab Roman and sprint towards an abandoned truck up ahead before the two helicopters opened fire simultaneously.
For a few agonising seconds Niko felt the bullets fly past, the harsh thud of the helicopter blades mixed with the high pitched clatter of the heavy machine guns and dull cracks of the NOOSE trooper's weaponry. He saw a man, clutching a small child to his chest, disappear in a blast of crimson and a howl of pain as he attempted to take cover behind a blood stained taxi, whilst a police officer, screaming and shouting at the NOOSE that he was 'one of them' took a rifle bullet to the face. Then Roman was pulling him, shouting inaudibly as he threw him into the back of the Cluckin' Bell truck and slam the doors shut behind them.
They lay; face down, on the cold metal in the pitch black amongst boxes of rotten meat and cold fries as gunfire continued to clatter outside. For a second Niko heard the boom of shotguns and handguns, as if some of the survivors were fighting back, before they were replaced by screams of pain and the smack of bullets on flesh. Then the only sound was the moaning of the undead, growing ever closer.
"Fuck this." Niko spat. "I would rather get shot to pieces than torn apart."
It looked like Roman was about to protest, but he only pushed himself off the floor, tears in his eyes, and nodded.
"Let's face our deaths like men then."
Niko nodded, clutching his Desert Eagle to him. Moving to the door he heard the sounds of the undead even louder and, turning to look at Roman one more time, kicked the door open and started firing into the mob of zombies shambling towards them, even as the horde was struck in the sides by the gunfire from the helicopters.
"To the gates!" Niko ordered and the two men half ran, half stumbled onward, gasping for air. He saw the helicopters circling overhead, both door gunners firing down into the zombies below now, and for a second caught a glimpse of a sniper sat in the cabin, weapon aimed straight at Niko as his finger tightened on the trigger.
Aboard the NOOSE helicopter 'Ultra Vector', the aircraft circling above the two men on the bridge, Captain Lance Masterson, the commander of the Algonquin Bridge Quarantine Zone, known, slightly ironically as 'the Salvation Gates', aimed his sniper rifle down at the two men. His orders were simple, and it didn't matter how much he respected these two men, who had been the only ones to survive the NOOSE helicopter barrage. He nodded at the rest of his men on their side of the craft, who all aimed their own guns downward.
"Bring us in lower." He snapped at the pilot. He at least wanted to give these two brave men a clean death, not some messy end at the hands of their .50 calibre Browning machine guns.
Niko watched the helicopter fly right alongside them now, just off the edge of the bridge, the snipers readying their weapons.
The two men braced themselves for the inevitable but kept running, even though they knew those towering gates would never open for them.
Niko turned to face the helicopter and saw the horde, still swarming after them despite the hail of fire from both the helicopters and the snipers above the police gates ahead. He aimed his gun behind him as he ran; ready to take down as many as he could before he was torn to shreds. The zombies were catching up now, the undead dogs at the front now joined by the scuttling zombies. Bracing himself, he watched the horde gaining, the gates up ahead only twenty or so metres away. Then the horde split and Niko saw some still shamble after him and Roman, whilist the rest went left.
"The helicopter." Roman said as he watched with his eyes wide and they kept running, as the helicopter, gunners still blasting away, hovered low to their left. The zombie horde, moaning and howling like animals, came at a mad run, many falling to the hail of gunfire and slumping to the tarmac as the others ran on. It wasn't enough though. As the pilot only just realised the doom they faced and attempted to move away, the horde jumped. Many fell to the waters below or were shot down by the NOOSE team aboard, but Niko could see the zombies hanging onto the sides, hear the screams of the crew aboard being torn apart, and the two men watched as the helicopter, smoke rising from its rear engine as a zombie fell into the tail rotor, spiralled and turned madly above them, careening with a scream of engines straight ahead, and into the left gates of the bridge blockade.
For a second Niko only saw the flames rising up and the steel gate breaking apart with a wrenching crash, but then there was a dull thump of an explosion and he watched in horror as part of the wall fell, sending the police officers atop it to their doom.
Then there was no time to look, and the zombies were already charging forward, the frantic officers beyond firing as the undead advanced. Putting one last burst of effort in, Roman and Niko sprinted the last few metres and clambering over the wrecked remains of the wall, the flames dangerously close. They were greeted by cries of fear, anger and some cheers and Niko saw glimpses of a huge crowd, a line of riot police which rushed past to defend the breach and a whole host of news vans, police and NOOSE vehicles, and fire engines and ambulances before he was tackled by a group of police officers in gas masks.
"Get him down!" the leader ordered, voice muffled by the heavy duty mask but his squad paused as a low moaning and snarling pierced the air.
At the wall, standing on unsteady feet between tangled corpses and rubble, a lone zombie stood, swaying slightly. For a second there was silence except for the rumble of traffic in the distance and Roman shouting at the officers holding him down on the bonnet of a police cruiser.
Then the zombie howled.
With a thundering roar a horde of undead shambled out from behind, swarming over the barricade and stumbling forward with moans and animalistic snarls. Niko felt the weight on him disappear and heard the officers run towards the collapsed gates, drawing their sidearms and shouting orders. As he stood up the riot police formed up, their steel ballistic shields forming a wall across the entire street as other officers fired from behind them, the crowd beyond only watching on wide eyed, a few cheering as the police prepared to face the undead.
As he staggered to his feet, his head ringing from where it had impacted the tarmac, Niko watched the horde breaking against the line of police, the dull thump of heavy riot batons against undead flesh ringing through the street, whilst a police Maverick hovering overhead poured sniper fire and grenades into the dead pouring through the breached wall. It wasn't enough. Even as Roman ran towards him, grinning from ear to ear despite the undead only metres away, as he half dragged, half carried the laughing form of Mallorie along with him, Brucie running up and enveloping Niko in a crushing bear hug, he continued to watch the scene beyond. Amongst the undead spilling through the wall in a wave of grey flesh stumbled a group of half a dozen thickset zombies, much wider and broader than the rest, a few dressed in LCPD riot armour. With a dull roar the bruisers charged, heads down and stumbling forward at a fast jog.
Although a few fell to the gunfire from the officers on the road, when the rest struck it was like a dam had been broken and a flood let forth. The riot police were swept aside and swallowed up as a tidal wave of undead rushed past, falling upon the crowd beyond in a tide of blood and screams.
Niko didn't have to think twice as he ran down the road, glancing back to see that the others were following, Roman clutching Mallorie to him and Brucie bringing up the rear, gun in both hands as he ran on. Behind them the police were now opening up from all sides, the crack of pistols and dull thud of assault rifles echoing along the street and mixing with the screams of the crowd being torn apart. There were others running alongside, many displaying bite wounds or covered in blood, whilist traffic on the roads swerved aside or simply ploughed into the crowds of people and undead alike. With a blast of horns two NOOSE tanks swept past, smashing aside parked cars and undead stumbling up the road as they fired their cannons directly into the horde. Niko could already see the undead pouring across the street, shambling down every side lane and back alley as they pursued their prey.
Up ahead loomed a crude barricade of white LCPD cruisers, officers firing their pistols and rifles straight into the crowds as the Maverick seemed to be hovering at head height as the officers aboard raked the road with gunfire.
"This way!" Niko bellowed and ducked into a small alley, homeless men and dozing drunks alike watching on with glazed eyes as the small group swept past, seconds before the pursuing undead tore them apart. Turning briefly Niko, Roman and Brucie all fired their guns behind them before running on, the undead thrown back by the bullets and painting the walls either side with splashes of crimson.
Sprinting to catch up Niko and the other two emerged, breathless, from the dim gloom of the alley into a huge open street, two lanes of gridlocked morning traffic crossing in the middle as dozens of bright billboards and signs adorned the hundred metre high skyscrapers on all side.
"Star Junction." Niko aid to himself softly, allowing himself a moment to catch his breath before he ran after the others, ducking and dodging through the gaudy yellow taxis and bright sports cars as he joined them on the central traffic island, the billboards above still flashing and corporate slogans still blasting out as the moans of undead and clatter of gunfire from the bridge grew louder and closer.
"What now?" Niko demanded. "This place was supposed to be fucking safe!" he said with and sighed and shook his head.
"Mallorie, is your apartment safe?" Roman asked as Niko only stood to one side, gun in hand, listening to the approaching howls of the undead.
"For now." She answered simply. "Me and Kate do…"
At that name Niko turned on his heel, his eyes wide.
"Shit Kate's here!" he said, a faint glimmer of happiness in his cold grey eyes which Roman found strange. He had never seen his cousin so much as smile before now. It felt almost out of character. But the way Niko turned, a grim smile on his face as a group of police cars and NOOSE vans tore past behind, the same look Roman had seen whenever anyone or anything had threatened his family, put hope in Roman once more.
But then he saw a literal wave of undead spill out from Konzite Street from the bridge and into the morning traffic. All he could see now were people running, screaming as snarling undead brought them down, cars being clambered over by whole packs of undead dogs whilst the zombie horde continued to issue forth, overwhelming the few squads of police with sheer numbers. As a police cruiser tore past, sirens blaring, a group of undead women in ragged cocktail dresses clinging onto the sides, Niko calmly turned to the others, the smile still on his face as the Burger Shot up the street went up in flames, sending a stalled bus onto its side and crushing a group of fleeing citizens.
"My apartment is only a few miles to the north. If we get there fast we can outrun these undead fuckers. First though, we get Kate."
And with that he was running, the others falling into step behind him, shooting down any undead that came near. By the time they had made it out of Star Junction, the moans of newly reanimated undead was echoing across the packed street filled with officer workers stampeding out from their workplaces whilst police vehicles and ambulances sped past, a NOOSE van simply smashing aside any stalled traffic as they rushed towards the sounds of gunfire and sirens in the distance.
Niko ignored it all, only glanced at the helicopters buzzing overhead, a few of which were armed with rocket pods ,which he recognised as the new NOOSE 'Little Bird' gunships that had appeared ever since those ridiculous reports of a gold attack helicopter a few months back. Yet even he joined in the collective gasp of astonishment from the crowds around him as those same helicopters began to fire down into the city beyond, the roar of explosions beyond making the ground shake.
He sped up, making sure the others were right behind him as the crowd began to bunch up around a police checkpoint made of three cruisers and an ambulance behind, officers already laying out barbed wire and sandbags and stopping the traffic with raised rifles. As they waited in line while the officers, all wearing gas masks now, checked for any wounds or bites, Niko heard a single message being constantly repeated over the radio of the nearest squad car.
"This is an emergency message from LCPD command to all officers in the Algonquin area. The Algonquin Bridge has fallen and other bridge defences are being overrun as we speak. Fall back to Position Sierra Zulu and await further orders. The city has been overrun. I repeat. The city has been overrun."