Chapter 11

Waking the Demon

[A/N] Hey guys! Once again, sorry for the long update. It kills me that I can't find the time to write. But I've finished college and have a few weeks before I go back so I finally have some time to work. I hope I can still keep you guys satisfied. Enjoy! I DO NOT OWN LEFT DEAD

Cross' mind raced. He had no idea how to fight this thing. He'd only ever encountered a tank once and it took several .50 cal rounds to the skull to finish it off. At the end of the fight, four soldiers were dead. If that was bad, then this was terrible. How could one soldier armed only with a rifle possibly defeat this towering hulk of muscle, flesh and rage? Before he could even begin to formulate a plan, the tank charged at him. "Move!" he yelled while pushing Holly out of the way. They barely escaped the oncoming charge by inches. The tank continued its charge, smashing through the store. Every shelf in its path was obliterated. Cross led Holly out onto the street. "Come on, we need to keep moving!" He shouted. They ran as fast as possible, not even sure what direction they were heading in. They felt the ground shake. The tank was in pursuit.

Cross was still trying to formulate a plan. He didn't know if they should carry on running, or try to fight. Fighting would endanger Holly, but then again, the tank would catch them eventually. He could almost feel the tanks warm, rank breath on his neck. It was then he made his decision. He slowed his pace slightly until Holly was right by his side, and them, he pushed her. Holly's low weight coupled with Cross' powerful shove made her move at least 6 feet out of the tanks path. The towering infected did not even seem to notice that the witch had fallen. He ran straight past her, still chasing the human.

Holly hit the ground hard, grazing the left side of her body. She didn't even know what was happening. Her mind was a mess. She looked up and saw the tank still relentlessly pursuing Cross. She got up, adrenaline still pumping through her veins, and gave chase "I'm not letting him die. I won't lose him."

Cross knew that he couldn't run anymore. His chest burned, and with every ragged breath he drew and every shaky step he made, he could feel the monster getting closer. He decided now was the time to make his stand. As the tank was within touching distance, he dropped onto his knees and then onto his chest almost immediately. The tank ran over him. The zombies foot was inches away from crushing Cross' skull. The tank, realising that the human and duped him, stopped in its tracks and turned. Cross got to his feet and shouldered his rifle. The tank roared as loud as it possibly could and charged again. Cross flicked the fire selector switch on his weapon to fully automatic. He put the tank right in his sights and squeezed.

Cross struggled to keep his weapon under control as the rifle spewed out all thirty 5.56 mm rounds in a matter of seconds. Each bullet found its target, but did little to slow the tank down. If anything, it just made it a lot angrier. The tank swiped at Cross with its massive forearm and sent him flying across the street. Cross hit the ground with a thud. His breath had been completely taken away. He struggled to even inhale. Suddenly, the tank picked him up in one of its huge hands. Cross knew this must be the end. He had failed his mission, he had failed his fellow soldiers. He had failed Holly. A lone tear rolled down his cheek. The tank began squeezing, and Cross could feel several of his ribs breaking under the pressure. He managed to reach the holster on his leg and pull out his pistol. With one final breath, he wheezed out "I'm not going down without a fight asshole." He aimed the pistol and fired 2 shots straight into the tanks face. One bullet hit the tank in the jaw and the other in the left eye. The tank shook its head and screamed. It grabbed Cross' right arm that was holding the pistol and pulled. There was a sickening crack as his arm was wrenched from its socket. Cross didn't have the energy or the air in his lungs to scream out. He had done what no soldier should ever do. He had given up.

Suddenly, he felt the tanks grip loosen. Cross fell from the beast's grasp and onto the asphalt. He wearily opened his eyes to see something he couldn't even begin to comprehend. Holly, eyes glowing like a demon from hell, slashing and stabbing the tanks back with her claws. To Cross, it almost appeared to be in slow motion. The tank fell to its knees. Holly let out an ear piercing scream as she plunged her claws into the tanks throat. The giant infected began to gurgle as blood poured out of the wound. Holly wasn't finished yet though. She continued to drive her claws into the wound and grabbed the tanks spinal column. With one swift movement, she broke the neck away from the spine, and ripped the tanks head off. The tank fell to the floor in a bloody mess. Its headless body continued to jerk around.

Cross' vision began to fade. All he could see now was Holly brutally killing that tank. He replayed it over and over until everything went black.

Holly ran over to Cross' body. She was covered in blood and breathing hard. She bent down over him. "Please Atticus! Please wake up!" She began to sob. She couldn't lose him. Not without telling him how she felt. "I'm sorry Atticus. I'm sorry I couldn't...I can't go on without you." She looked over at the pistol still clenched in his hand. She slowly pried it open and carefully picked the weapon up. She'd never held a gun before. She was surprised at its weight. She knew it was ready to fire and that it still had bullets left the magazine. She slowly managed to put her index finger through the trigger guard and rested it on the trigger. She slowly raised the gun to her right temple and breathed...