Chapter 14: Shadows
"Allen, the sun is just about to go down. We should head back to the truck and get the hell out of here." Paul said nervously, knowing how far of a walk it is to reach their vehicle.
His companion however, looked more annoyed than worried. This was the tenth time in as many minutes that Paul suggested in leaving.
"We were told to watch the place and radio in anything that happens," he said. "Two vehicles already tried to leave and more might try again soon. Our roadblock will be toast if they send out that armored humvee of theirs and we don't alert them that it's coming. Who do you think will get the blame if that happens?"
After weeks of carefully planning, everything was working out surprisingly well. For a long time the walled up mansion was basically an impenetrable fortress with its well armed occupants protecting it. Months had gone by and all the bandits like Allen and Paul could do was to monitor the Nest's radio traffic and their ridiculous bird nicknames they gave to each other.
They came up with several plans but always, taking the place seemed impossible without it being a one sided slaughter. Then someone hit on the idea of trying to draw a large herd of walkers towards it by using explosives and let them do all the dirty work. At the very least, it'll weaken their defenses and waste their ammo in fighting the thousands of dead off.
The two bandits on lookout were safe and secure in the attic of an abandoned home about 500 yards away with its own long private driveway, tucked away far off the main road. It was one of the few places that they could get close enough driving across country without being seen by their watch tower. Once inside, they carefully punched a small hole in the roof so they could spy on them. They had a clear view of the mansion and its gate. What was happening inside those walls was another mystery.
The thousands of walkers were almost on them and with some luck the dead could wipe them all out. Then all they had to do was set off another explosion or two to draw them off and the place and its supplies would be theirs.
"Allen, I just don't like the idea of possibility being trapped up here, Allen." a frighten Paul admitted.
"And you think I do?" Allen replied in frustration before calming himself. "This attic is accessible only by using a step ladder which we can easily kick away, we'll be safe. The people in that mansion are the ones that should be afraid. So relax."
"Walkers have made contact with the north wall," Angel reported over the radio. "The main body is just a few minutes behind."
Down at the garage area, Saul came running out of the vehicle building carrying a large box. "I got the fireworks."
Michael was with Burt at the humvee.
"Got enough gas in that thing?" he asked the ex-marine.
Burt was behind the wheel of the vehicle with the driver side door open as he checked the fuel gauge.
"We've got a quarter of a tank." he answered.
Saul quickly walked around the humvee before opening the passenger side door to hop in. Burt was about to start the vehicle when he heard Michael opening the rear passenger door behind him.
"What are you doing?"
"Going with you," Michael responded. "It's nearly nightfall and I'm not letting you two go out there without an extra gun."
Burt shook his head at the offer. "Bad idea, right now this place needs you more. Hold down the fort."
"This isn't up to you Burt…"
Standing close by, Carley could see Burt and Michael were about to argue again which they don't have the time to afford. "I'll go." she volunteered.
Lee was next to her and immediately he blurted out a shocked. "What?"
"We don't have time to fight about this," Carley said to both Michael and Lee as she stepped towards the humvee. "The walkers will be blocking the gate any minute. I'll go and make sure Burt and Saul come back." Carley then pointed a finger directly at Michael. "Just make sure that this place is intact when we return."
"Yes, ma'am." Michael uttered with an almost amused look.
"Then I'm going with you." Lee replied and when Carley looked ready to protest, he interrupted her using her own words. "We don't have time to argue. I'm coming to make sure you come back too."
"This is all very touching," Burt said. "But I'm leaving in ten seconds so get in!"
As Carley and Lee jumped in the back of the humvee, Michael handed Burt his night vision goggles. "The batteries are still good in this one but try and save it for the return trip."
"We're probably going to be stuck out there at least until morning or whenever most of the walkers moves on," Burt said as he took the goggles placing them on the floorboard by his feet. "Hopefully we won't need to use it much."
Burt shut the driver's side door as Michael approached the gate with several of his fighters ready.
"There's a bunch of walkers in front of the gate now," Riley whispered to Michael as she peeked outside through the tarp covering it. "I can count six with several more off in the distance."
The army sergeant fixed his bayonet to his rifle. "Riley, stand back and have your bow ready."
Riley backed away as another fighter took her place at the gate as Michael said to him and the others. "We'll open the gate on three. And remember everyone, no gunfire. Knives and clubs only, understand? Now get ready, one, two THREE!"
The gate swung open to reveal several walkers on the other side. The dead turned just in time to see the humvee speeding towards them with Burt's foot pressing the accelerator right to the floor. The reinforced bumper struck four of them, sending three walkers flying and crushing the fourth under its wheels.
"Close the gate!" Michael commanded as he joined the others pushing it shut.
As the gate closed, two walkers that the humvee missed lunged forward but one was stopped cold by an arrow striking through its right eye by Riley. The second managed to find itself instantly pinned inside the closing gate, keeping it from locking shut.
"Hold the gate!" Michael shouted.
Riley was loading another arrow when Michael moved from the gate and approached the walker as it struggled like an animal in a trap. The undead reached out with its decaying hands and snapping its rotting teeth at him. In one swift motion, Michael rammed the bayonet on his rifle under its jaw and up into its brain, finally putting it to rest.
Michael then quickly grabbed the motionless walker and shouted. "Open the gate slightly!" and pulled it inside, clearing the entrance. "Close it!" He ordered.
The fighters pushed the gate shut just as a dozen more walkers reached it, clawing at the tarp covered bars. Many of the dead were drawn in by the sudden activity at the gate entrance but thankful a majority of the walker's attention was focused on the racing humvee as it headed off road eastward.
In the vehicle, Lee looked back at the Nest, worried about the people back there and especially Clementine as the undead horde slowly began to encircle it. He didn't even have time to say good-bye to her. He just had to make sure that they succeed and get through the night alive.
"What's the plan?" Lee asked.
Burt was concentrating on driving, resisting from switching on their headlights which would only draw in even more walkers on them. The sun was almost settled out of sight on the horizon making it difficult to see in the disappearing daylight.
"Put some distance between us and the Nest and set off the fireworks that Saul has." Burt finally said.
Carley looked surprised. "That's it?"
"Yeah," Burt replied, steering the humvee around some trees and the odd walker. "Is that a problem?"
"No," Carley answered, sharing a look at Lee. The two of them didn't have time to ask what Burt and the rest of them were planning other than it was a risky attempt to save the Nest before volunteering to help. "I thought it would be more difficult."
"We still have to stop, get out and light the fireworks and escape before being overwhelmed by walkers," Saul said before chucking sarcastically. "I'm just glad this isn't a Hollywood horror movie."
"What, this situation isn't hairy enough for you?" Lee commented as the vehicle rocked back and forth over a rough patch of terrain.
"Oh come on, Lee," Saul replied with a half laugh. "Two black men in the middle of the apocalypse, what could possibly go wrong if this was a movie?"
"Hey, horror movies haven't been very kind to women either," Carley replied defensively. "They usually scream hysterically at the monster or axe murderer and run off cluelessly in the wrong direction. God, I hate that."
"To be fair, the few horror movies I've seen usually had the woman being the last one still standing." Lee admitted.
"Yeah, a lot better than the poor token black guy." Saul agreed.
"Versus the dumb blonde in the tight outfit and huge boobs who's only purpose is to die screaming in those slasher films?" Carley mockingly declared.
"For the love of God," Burt shouted. "Enough with horror movie debates! Let's focus on the real one we're living in!"
"We've got activity," Allen said as he carefully observed the Nest from their vantage point. "Their humvee has left the gate and is… Oh, shit!"
"What?" an increasingly worried Paul asked.
"They're heading this way."
Burt was a little frustrated with the numbers of walkers covering the countryside but finally he reached a nice clearing where there were none around for hundreds of feet. Most of all, it was still in sight of the Nest so the walkers surrounding it will see their little early 4th of July show.
"This is a good a spot as any." he said putting the vehicle in park before reaching down and grabbing a couple of road flares.
Lee opened his right side rear passenger side door and stepped out with his gun ready, commenting with concern. "I can barely see."
"We can't risk any lights." Burt replied as they all got out of the humvee. "Let's do this quick and get out of here."
Carley could barely make out anything too. The sun had gone down completely and everything was nearly cloaked in shadows. She could just see the moving shapes of walkers off in the distance and a nearby house just three hundred feet off to their left.
Burt and Saul moved to the front of the humvee to prepare to set off the fireworks
"Lee," Carley called out. "Cover your side of the humvee."
"Don't have to tell me twice." came his dry response.
Carley took a few steps towards Burt and Saul to keep them covered. Saul put the box down and used his combat knife to slice the top and opened the lid.
Burt quickly checked its contents before Carley heard him muttering. "Perfect."
The box contained cone fountains, ground spinners, aerial rockets and even the classic handheld sparklers. This will put on a good light show for miles.
Burt reached for one of the road flares and lit it. It burst into an eerie red glow and was prepared to drop it in the box when they suddenly all heard the gunshot.
Allen lost sight of the humvee but it stopped somewhere nearby. He bravely climbed down the ladder from the attic down to the second floor of the home they were hiding in. They blocked the stairway leading up to the second floor with some old furniture, so they were safe for a moment if any walker did enter the building. However, Paul was too cowardly to dare and follow him, so Allen left him there. He had to find out what the people in that humvee were up to.
Cautiously with his rifle ready, he entered the remains of someone's bedroom from another time and world. Everything in this house was ransacked. He approached the window and peered out and spotted them, just a little off in the distance. It was too dark to see much but he could make out the shape of the humvee and some figures moving about. It looked like they were placing something on the ground in front of the vehicle.
Then as he watched one of them popped a road flare. That's when he spotted the large box on the ground between them and instantly had an idea what they were planning. Without thinking, he aimed at the figures now being illuminated by the flare and fired his rifle to try and stop them.
Lee was trying his best to keep track of the walkers slowly shifting towards them in the constantly dimming light. Then Burt lit the road flare and he was instantly relieved. They soon could get back in the vehicle and get out of here.
Suddenly a gunshot rang out. It came from the direction of the house.
Lee's first action was to turn to check on the others. He instantly heard Saul cursing.
"Fuck! Everyone, get down." the soldier yelled before he aimed and unloaded his assault rifle back at the house.
Lee spotted Burt still holding the flare but where's Carley? Then he saw her crouched on the ground before she lifted her own rifle and added her firepower to Saul's. To his relief, she looked okay.
Burt dropped the burning flare into the box of fireworks and shouted. "Get your asses back into the vehicle! NOW!"
Burt drew his pistol and fired twice at the house as he started his way back to the vehicle. Burt saw Lee and Saul were already getting inside the humvee but Carley was struggling to get back to her feet. He gently grabbed her by the arm to help her up.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
Carley answered but her usually strong voice was almost a whisper now. "I'm shot."
Burt immediately holstered his gun before using both hands to pull her to her feet. Carley kept a weak hold on her rifle as the large ex-marine helped her back to the humvee.
When Burt first lit the flare and the gunshot erupted, Carley felt an impact like someone punched her hard in the left side, just below her rib cage. The force almost spun her around, knocking her down to her knees.
Carley was in denial at first, she couldn't believe it (was she hit?) when she heard Saul shouting and firing his rifle at the house. Carley still felt okay and able to move her body without difficulty. She even brought up her own weapon and returned fire as well. By then, she started to feel a burning sensation coming from her left side. This forced her to realize she was indeed hit.
"Get your asses back into the vehicle! NOW!" she heard Burt hollering.
Carley tried to stand but she grimaced in pain. She couldn't get up. Before she could try again, Burt was by her side and placing a hand around her left arm.
"Are you alright?"
She could really feel the pain radiating from her left side now and she grew scared on how bad it could be. She spoke to him in a faint voice. "I'm shot."
Without warning, Burt simply grabbed Carley lifting to her feet and helped her towards the humvee but Carley couldn't recall her feet touching the ground even once.
As they approached the left rear passenger door, Carley remembered seeing Lee's concerned face as Burt handed her off to him. Together they put her inside and Burt shut the door before getting back behind the wheel again as the first of the fireworks started going off.
They exploded in loud pops and showered the area in a sparkling radiance, lighting the entire area up, a few at first but quickly grew in sound and brilliant intensity. Several rockets shot up in the air before exploding but many bounced across the ground. One even harmlessly struck the windshield of the humvee as Burt backed the vehicle away.
In the back of the humvee, Carley felt the pain growing worse as she let herself collapse in Lee's arms as he held her tightly, as he tried to console her. Touching her left side, blood was already soaking through her cloths. Saul climbed over the seats to reach them and to help check and tend to her wounds.
Carley tried to tell Lee that everything would be alright but she didn't really believe it herself. She needed a doctor and the best one they had was now blocked off by thousands of walkers.