I DO NOT OWN ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS!
Alvin and The Chipmunks and The Dead!
Chapter 19- Survival
Drake and the others quickly made their way towards the roof of the chemical plant they were in. Garm leading them the way he came and Drake bringing up the rear.
"Hurry!"
Drake turned around and shot several pale creatures that were chasing after them.
"Almost there!"
Shortly after they had left the safety of the corridor, they were in the creatures in the plant quickly searched them out and pursuit had begun. Garm kept the front clear, while Drake covered them from behind. They moved fast through the plant and were now close to the roof. Gram ran to a door at the top of the stairway they were in.
"Here it is. Let's go!"
He opened the door and moved out onto the roof, closely followed by Eleanor, Alvin, and Jeanette. Drake came through the door shutting and locking it behind him. He kept his rifle aimed at the door as several creatures started to bang into it, trying to open the door. Drake put his hand up to the earpiece he wore.
"What is the status of that evac?"
The radio crackled with static before someone responded.
"Agent Harris the helo is two minutes out. Set up a defensive perimeter and hold on, satellite shows an unknown number of hostiles coming towards your location."
Suddenly a large number of the Pale busted through the door. Drake and Garm opened fire into them dropping several right away. Alvin and the others joined them picking off the ones that kept advancing towards them. Alvin yelled out.
"Damn I'm out!"
Drake's earpiece crackled to life. He could hear the helicopter close to them.
"Agent Harris! We're right above you! Sending you a care package!"
A howl sounded through the sky as something large hit the roof with a sudden impact, kicking up dust. Something large moved within the dust.
"Sorry, I'm so late…but I'll more than makeup for it."
Theodore charged forward out of the dust and proceeded to rip apart several Pale that stood in his path. Alvin upon seeing his brother called out.
"Theodore!"
The Blackhawk helicopter landed on the roof. Drake's headset crackled.
"Agent Harris! It's time to bug out!"
Drake fired into the rapidly growing group of Pale.
"Garm! Get everyone on the helo! Now!"
Garm emptied the remainder of his magazine into the Pale. Turning he used his large frame to lift Eleanor and Jeanette over his shoulders.
"Alvin! Move! Hurry up!"
Alvin followed Garm and hoped into the helicopter, Garm jumped in behind him. He put down the two girls. He reloaded his M14 and turned back around.
"Drake! You and that wolf boy get over here! We're bugging out!"
Garm and the others started to provide Drake and Theodore cover. The two turned on their heels and sprinted towards the helicopter. Theodore was at the helicopter first. Drake was thirty feet away. The pilot began to lift the helicopter off of the ground. It hovered a few feet off the roof.
"There are too many! The second he gets on we are out of here!"
Drake was twenty feet away when all pale stopped suddenly.
Bang!
A shot rang out and Drake fell to the ground, blood appearing through a hole through his black BDU pants. He had been shot in the leg.
Drake!"
Jeanette tried to climb out of the helicopter but was held back by Garm. She started to become hysterical.
"Let me go! We have to help him!"
Drake lifted himself from the ground. Keeping the weight off of his right leg. He looked towards the door they had come through. War, his team, and Simon stepped through it. He lifted his hand to his earpiece.
"Harris to pilot. Get them out of here…this is an order."
"…Roger that sir."
The helicopter began its ascent rapidly. Theodore reverted to his normal form; he had reached the limit of his transformations. Eleanor held Jeanette back. Alvin looked at Garm, he was angry.
"Aren't you going to do something!? He's your friend isn't he!?"
Garm looked down at his rifle. He was out of ammo, at this distance none of their current weapons could provide adequate covering fire for Drake. The pilot signaled for Garm to pick up the headset by him. Garm put it on his head. The pilot spoke through the helicopter internal communications.
"No need to worry sir! The director has an AC-130 on route. The crew has been told to use it's 25mm gun to provide agent Harris superior fire support."
Garm should have figured. It isn't like the director would let anything happen to Drake. He gave the pilot a thumbs up.
"Alright! Get me back to base so I can resupply and get back to help Drake!"
The pilot nodded his head.
"Roger that!"
Drake watched the helicopter get further away. He turned back around, facing the new group of threats. War stepped forward, as Simon raised his hand. The Pale stepped away from Drake.
"Well looks like I've caught me a trouble maker."
War raised his M249 at Drake but was stopped by Simon.
"Hold a moment, I want to fight him again."
Simon flashed forward and took a swipe at Drake, who dodged. Raising his M4, he fired several rounds. All of which Simon dodged with ease. Simon thrust a fist towards Drake's chest. Drake brought up his rifle to block the blow, but Simon grabbed it and pulled it away from him. He snapped the weapon in two like it was a pencil. Throwing the pieces to the ground he continued after Drake. Removing his handgun Simon grabbed the barrel.
"I'm getting tired of these games. These same strategies won't work twice on me."
Drake let go of his handgun. In his left hand was his knife, he threw it at Simon who smacked it away. Not realizing that he had loosened his grip on Drake's handgun.
"Pathetic."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Simon jumped back several feet. His hand going to his chest, his hand came away with blood on it. Drake had his handgun back. He used his knife as a distraction to catch Simon off guard. It was just enough for Drake to get off three shots into Simon's chest. Drake put some distance between them, keeping his handgun aimed at him. Several Pale surrounded him but stopped as soon as Simon raised his hand.
"You are something, you shouldn't even be able to stand against me. Fascinating."
Drake flipped up the finger at him.
"Glad to know your impressed."
Simon picked up the knife that was thrown at him and tossed it at Drake's feet.
"Pick it up…you are going to need all the help you can get."
War stepped forward aiming his M249 at Drake, Conquest was right behind his boss. His handgun aimed right at Drake's face.
"Enough games! It's time we end this!"
Drake knew he was in a bad spot. Even if he could take out some of them, he glanced at Simon. Drake knew that he was dangerous. In a straight-up fight, he knew he'd lose. Just then something happened that he did not expect. Famine aimed the M4 at the back of War's head.
"Sorry War, but drop your weapon. You to Conquest."
War and Conquest looked at Famine in shock. War gritted his teeth.
"Famine. What the fuck are you doing?!"
Famine shrugged nonchalantly.
"My job."
War and Conquest dropped their weapons, including the handguns on their person. Famine had them step back towards the door. Famine came to stand next to Drake.
"You alright?"
Drake watched Famine, studying them. He had no clue what was going on. Simon just watched the exchange, he felt amused at the situation. He snapped his fingers and the Pale began their advancement on the two.
"Well I was, but I'd say we're in a bit of a tight spot."
Drake's radio crackled, as did Famine's.
"Agents, evac the roof. We're bout to light it up with the 25mm gun!"
Famine grabbed Drake around the waist as the Pale closest to them were turned to dust as 25mm gatling gun fire turn them into mincemeat. Famine jumped off of the roof holding Drake. Famine fired a grappling gun into the side of the metal crane by them and slowed their fall to a stop. The gatling gun continued to mow down the Pale on the roof. Leaving no one standing, Simon and the others had already retreated inside the building. Slowly guiding themselves down until they were safely on the ground, Drake stepped back from Famine, his handgun aimed at them.
"Who are you?"
Famine stared at him; their hands slowly came up to their gas mask.
"Really handsome, how could you forget little ole me?"
He watched as they remove the gas mask. It came away and long blonde hair fell from it. Drake lowered his weapon as he found himself staring into blue eyes that he hadn't seen in years.
"Charlene…"
The chipette in front of him gave a seductive, teasing smile.
"Hello again handsome, it's been a long time, hasn't it? What? Haven't you missed me?"
Drake put his handgun back into its holster. He scratched the back of his head; he averted her gaze.
"So…you became an agent?"
Charlene attached the grappling gun to her leg. She handed her M4 over to Drake.
"Use this, you are a much better shot than I am. And yes, after you and I went our separate ways I went and joined the agency. Undercover operations, as you can see."
Drake checked the rifle. It was up to specs. Charlene walked up to him and place her hand on his chest.
"Just so you know I blew my cover to help get you out of there. No way I can go back now."
Watching her intently Drake finally spoke.
"I hope you know that I did try and say goodbye…"
She placed a slender finger to his mouth.
"It doesn't matter sugar; I've left it in the past and you should too. Now let's go and find an evac spot and get on out of here."
Drake grabbed her arm as she walked past him.
"Wait. I can't go yet. Dr. Valis is still at large."
She looked down at his hand on her arm, and at the injury, he had sustained to his leg.
"You just don't know when to give up, do you? The mission is a bust, the military is planning to destroy the city. We need to clear out of here sooner rather than later!"
Drake stepped back from her.
"Fine, you go then. I have a job to do and I'm going to see it through to the end."
She watched as he limped away from her. She sighed out and jogged to catch up to him.
"Hold on cowboy. You won't get very far on that leg if we don't treat it."
Charlene helped support him.
"We'll find a place to patch you up and then I will help you."
Giving her a small smile that brought back old feelings, Drake started to walk as she did.
"I knew you couldn't leave me alone."
After several minutes of searching, they found a small storage room on the chemical plant grounds. Charlene picked the lock and helped Drake inside, she quickly sat him down on a chair and locked the door. She looked back at him and pointed to his pants.
"Alright. Lose the pants."
Drake cocked an eyebrow in amusement.
"At least buy me dinner first."
Charlene gave him a sultry look. Then she slowly grabbed the buckle to his belt. Leaning into his ear, she whispered.
"Pants off now."
He unbuckled himself and slid his pants down until they could see the injury. Charlene examined it closely.
"The round went completely through, that's good. How's the pain?"
Drake shrugged as she packed the wound with gaze and started to wrap it.
"Ouch, it hurts like hell, but I've had worse."
Charlene took a syringe out of the medical pouch on her waist and stuck the needle in him.
"This is a mild pain killer. It'll help with the pain without making you groggy."
Once she was done with that. Drake pulled up his pants and buckled himself back up. He tested the movement of his leg and decided that it would be fine for the mission ahead.
"Thanks, Charlene. I owe you one."
She smiled. A faraway look on her face as if she was remembering something.
"You can consider us even now. I still owed you for saving me all those years ago."
He slowly stood as she turned away from him, she started to arrange her equipment.
"Char…I…"
She waved her hand at him, cutting him off.
"I said it's fine. We knew it wasn't going to work out…well, one of us did."
Drake was right. She was still hurting from their previous relationship. He thought about their first-time meeting…
Flashback!
December 13, 2008, Washington, D.C. 1500 hours
Twenty-year-old Drake Harris stepped off the greyhound bus at the historic Union Station in Washington D.C. Scanning the crowd he found who he was looking for, and she was making a beeline right for him.
"Mom!"
Nadia Harris wrapped her adoptive son in her arms. Hugging him fiercely.
"Oh, my sweet baby boy! It's been soon long!"
He returned the hug.
"Sorry mom, my military duties have kept me busy."
Nadia let go of him and looked him up and down. He wore his dress blue uniform, newly issued by the Army. He wore his tan ranger beret and he had numerous medals and ribbons on his uniform.
"I see that you have been busy, and don't think I haven't checked up on you. Now how long are you here for?"
Drake and she walked through the station, he took note of the men in suits trailing them. Clearly his mother's protection detail. Stepping outside he answered her.
"Thirty days. I'll be here for Christmas and New Year's Eve."
Nadia stopped in front of a black Cadillac SUV, one of the men opened the door for her and Drake. They stepped inside and buckled themselves in.
"I'm glad you'll be home; we have a lot to catch up on."
He smiled at his mother.
"Actually mom, I requested a reassignment."
Her eyes widened at that.
"I just recently finished Military Police training. My new assignment will be at Fort Meade. So, I'll be able to visit you almost every weekend."
Sitting her hand on Drake's knee Nadia shed a small tear.
"Oh, son. That is great! I have to be honest though…I was actually about to force a transfer for you if you didn't contact me soon."
The mother and son shared a laugh. They shared small talk as the SUV made it way through the D.C. area. Soon they arrived at their destination, The Woodley apartments. Stepping out of the SUV Drake looked up at the apartment building and whistled.
"That promotion seems to have paid off for you mom. How much does this place cost?"
She shrugged.
"It varies, my unit the C11 runs a little over twelve thousand a month."
Drake hung his head.
"I could never afford this. I make one thousand nine hundred and forty-nine a month. Well, at least I have everything I need on the base."
He followed his mother into the building, taking the elevator to the eighth floor they stepped off and came to a door at the end of the hall guarded by two more armed agents. One opened the door and Nadia ushered her son inside.
"There are three rooms. One is the master bedroom, so feel free to pick one of the others as your room. Oh, and follow me."
Drake followed his mother into the kitchen, where he was immediately tackled to the floor by a large figure. He was just about to fight back when he heard several voices yell out.
"Surprise!"
He stopped and finally got a good look at his attacker. He found himself looking up at his best friend and fellow soldier.
"Dammit Garm, get off of me."
Garm got up off of Drake and helped him up.
"Welcome home bud!"
Looking around the kitchen he noticed two others around his mom. One was Luke Marigold, and the other was his younger sister Lisa Marigold. Both childhood friends of his and Garm's. Luke stepped forward to shake Drake's hand, his blonde hair was shaggy over his blue eyes.
"It's good to see you, Drake. It's been a long time."
Lisa followed closely behind her brother, slightly hiding behind him. Her blonde hair and blue eyes matched her brothers. She was always shy.
"Hello, Drake…how are you?"
Drake looked around at his friends and then at his mom.
"What is all this?"
She smiled at her son's shocked expression.
"When I found out you were visiting, I contacted and flew your friends out here. Pretty easy to do in my position."
The five sat and ate the Chinese food that was on the large kitchen island. They shared what they had been doing since they had last seen each. Drake learned that Luke was going to the Ohio State Highway Patrol academy in two months so that he would graduate on his twenty-first birthday. Lisa was attending Ohio State University and was on winter break, she was still undecided on a major. Garm of course was still in the Army, serving as a ranger in Washington State at Fort Lewis. A couple of hours had passed when Garm leaned into him. He waved four tickets in his face.
"Since you haven't had a day to relax in a long while I got something that is sure to help you. We go tonight."
Drake took one of the tickets and looked at it. The ticket was for an event at the Capital One Arena in D.C. he sighed.
"You know I don't like these kinds of things."
Garm pointed at the ticket.
"C'mon bro. Look at whose playing! They are a big deal right now!"
Looking down at the ticket he read who was playing there. The Chipmunks, along with a special performance by Charlene Campbell! He looked at Garm.
"Never heard of them."
Garm just tossed his arms up in exasperation.
"Of course, you haven't. I swear you live under a rock sometimes."
The two siblings came over and listened in to the conversation that was taking place between them. Luke took his ticket from Garm. The other went to Lisa.
"I don't understand the big deal. I don't think they're really that good, personally speaking."
Lisa looked up at her brother, her small hands holding onto the ticket tightly.
"They are really popular right now with the kids at school. I've been wanting to see one of their shows."
Garm looked at Drake.
"See? Everyone wants to see the show! You don't want to disappoint your friends do you?"
Luke nudged him in the side.
"I didn't say that."
Garm rubbed his side. Grinning ear to ear.
"Too late anyway! I already spent the money on front row ticket's so we are going! And that is final!"
Drake relented. He had hoped to turn in early tonight, but it looked like fate wouldn't let him do so. He found his mother sitting in her living room reading a Steven King novel. He explained to her that he and the others were going out to a concert. She smiled up at him, admiring that her son had come such a long way from being the quiet, lonely child that he was when he was younger.
"That sounds fun dear, do you want my driver to take you?"
Garm and the others came into the room.
"No need to worry! I rented a Cadillac Escalade when I got into town. We'll be arriving in style."
Fifth teen minutes later the foursome exited the apartment complex heading towards the parking lot where Garm's rental vehicle was. Drake had changed out of his uniform and into a pair of jeans and a grey t-shirt, along with a pair of gym shoes. They reached the Cadillac and climbed into it. Garm in the driver's seat, Drake in the passengers, and Luke and Lisa sat behind them. Garm started the escalade and peeled out of the parking lot, speeding towards the Capital One Arena.
Close to forty-five minutes later Garm pulled into the already filled parking lot of the arena. Finding a parking spot, the four got out of the vehicle. Garm handed them passes along with their tickets.
"Backstage passes. We'll get to meet the stars with these after the show."
They made it to the entrance of the arena, thousands of people already standing in line to see the concert. Garm flashed their tickets and backstage passes at the security guards at one of the gates and they were quickly ushered inside. They were met by a small wiry middle-aged man, who led them to the standing VIP section at the front of the stage. The arena was already filled to capacity and even more, people were being let into the arena. Drake leaned into his friends and raised his voice so they could hear him.
"Don't you all think they're pushing the capacity of the arena?"
Garm waved him off as the lights dimmed, and the stage lit up in pink and purple lights. Smoke filled the stage and a young woman stepped out onto the stage. Drake's eyes widened. It was a female chipmunk. Her blonde hair pulled up into a wild ponytail, blue eyes shining on the stage. She wore a skin-tight red dress that stopped at her upper thigh. The crowd started to roar as she removed the microphone from the stand in the middle of the stage. She waved to the crowd and welcomed them, asking them to enjoy the show before she started to sing.
"No One" Alicia Keys
I just want you close
Where you can stay forever
You can be sure
That it will only get better
She stepped over to the edge of the stage, moving in time with the music. Her blue eyes watched the crowd. She smiled brightly as she continued.
You and me together
Through the days and nights
I don't worry 'cause
Everything's gonna be alright
People keep talking they can say what they like
But all I know is everything's gonna be alright
Moving back and forth as she sang, she came to stand at the front of the stage. She bent down to hold hands with some young fans.
No one, no one, no one
Can get in the way of what I'm feeling
No one, no one, no one
Can get in the way of what I feel for you, you, you
Can get in the way of what I feel for you
Drake watched as she sang. He didn't know much about modern music, but he knew she had the voice for it. It was hard for him to pull his eyes away.
When the rain is pouring down
And my heart is hurting
You will always be around
This I know for certain
Her eyes moved along the front row of concert-goers, where they locked onto his. He felt his stomach tighten. She smiled.
You and me together
Through the days and nights
I don't worry 'cause
Everything's gonna be alright
People keep talking they can say what they like
But all I know is everything's gonna be alright
She moved back, keeping her eyes on his.
No one, no one, no one
Can get in the way of what I'm feeling
No one, no one, no one
Can get in the way of what I feel for you, you, you
Can get in the way of what I feel
Tossing her ponytail to the side, she stood in the center of the stage. The lights were slowly dimed some more.
I know some people search the world
To find something like what we have
I know people will try, try to divide, something so real
So till the end of time, I'm telling you there ain't no one
The lights dimmed low, and a spotlight shone on her.
No one, no one
Can get in the way of what I'm feeling
No one, no one, no one
Can get in the way of what I feel for you
The music went still, and the crowd erupted in applause. Garm and the others cheered along with them. Drake let his eyes glance over to the right side of the stage. He saw the man that led them to their spot. He was staring intently at the singer on the stage. Drake recognized the look on his face, hatred, and lust. She continued to sing several songs, but Drake kept his eyes locked onto the man. The opening act ended and she announced the main performance. She left the stage and was immediately followed by the man. Drake turned to Garm.
"Hey, I'll be back. Gotta use the restroom."
His friends acknowledged him. He moved through the crowd with ease and went up to the security standing at the side entrance of the stage. He flashed his military police badge and credentials at the two men.
"I need to get backstage. Now."
They quickly let him through, clearly not wanting to get on any type of law enforcements bad side. He moved into the backstage area and found where the performers exit the staging area. Moving down a series of stairs he made it to the dressing rooms for the stars. They were all empty. Moving on he found himself coming to a door that led to the loading area for the band and their equipment. He could hear muffled screaming from the other side. He quickly pushed open the door. He found himself faced with the small built man and two larger men. They were having a hell of a time trying to force the much smaller girl into a black sedan.
"Hey!"
Distracting the men by yelling at them they loosened their grip on the girl who took the opportunity to break away. She ran towards Drake who grabbed her and moved her behind him.
"You alright?"
Her small hands held onto him tightly, she was shaking.
"I'm physically ok…they just grabbed me when my manager asked me to follow him down here."
The two large men ran at him, Drake smiled.
"Well don't worry…you're safe now."
The first reached him and Drake jabbed him in the throat, stopping him in his tracks. The second he grabbed by the collar of his shirt and used the man's forward momentum to toss him onto his back. Drake punched him in the nose breaking it.
"Look out!"
Looking behind him, he saw that the first man had recovered and was about to grab him from behind. Drake kicked his leg out behind him into the man's stomach, knocking the air out of him. He then followed up with another kick to the man's groin. This put him down for good. The small manager had run off at this point, most likely already long gone. Drake straightened himself up and turned to face the young woman now standing by the door he came through just moments before. He smiled.
"My name is Drake Harris. Are you really alright?"
He spoke his name after such a scary situation with ease, like it was a normal reaction to simply meeting someone for the first time. Tears began to gather in her eyes as she ran to him and wrapping her arms around him as her tears poured. She choked out in between sobs, her name.
"Charlene! Charlene Campbell!"
Stroking her hair as she cried, he comforted her.
"It's nice to meet you, Charlene."
End Flashback
"Drake…Drake! Earth to Drake!"
Drake snapped his eyes open and found himself looking at Charlene. He was back in the storage room with her at the chemical plant. He must have fallen asleep.
"You dozed off for a few minutes, you feeling alright?"
He nodded. Shaking his head free of the cobwebs he had from sleep.
"Yeah, just starting to feel ragged."
She understood. Tonight had been a stressful affair. She held out her hand and helped him to his feet.
"Come on. We still have to survive long enough for a rescue."
Slinging his new M4 over his shoulder, he and Charlene prepared to leave their temporary hideaway and face the onslaught that awaited them.