CHAPTER 7
The eight humans ran through the streets. Jim's stump was bandaged to hell, but blood still stained the white cloth. He was also in pain, but had to bare with it. The streets were surprisingly quiet and deserted. For LA, this seemed very strange. "Where the hell is everybody?" The other Marine, Simon, asked.
"Shouldn't be this quiet." Anna stated. They carried on walking, then Lucy noticed something.
"That doesn't look good." she said, pointing over to the zoo. The gate was buckled and torn open, and the cages they could see looked the same. The animals were out.
"This virus affects animals, doesn't it?" George asked, worried if the answer was yes.
"Yes." Jake answered. "Keep your eyes peeled. This day is gonna be worse than we all thought." Suddenly a large, white van swerved around the corner and stopped in front of them. The survivors stopped walking, guns raised. The sides of the van opened, and about 5 Marines jumped out, assault rifles pointing at them along with flashlights.
"Freeze!" shouted the one at the front. Probably the leading Marine there. He looked at Jake, Anna and Michelle. He then looked at George, Jim and Simon. He didn't even glance at Henry and Lucy. "Take those three." he said to his team, nodding towards the first three. The Marines ran forward and grabbed them before they could retaliate. Henry stepped forward.
"Where are you taking them?" he shouted. The leader turned to face him.
"It doesn't concern you." he replied bluntly. George stepped towards him.
"What about the rest of us?" he asked.
"You've served your purpose." the leader told him. George stopped moving up to him.
"You're leaving us here?" he asked. "We'll die!"
"That's not our concern." the leader replied. Simon suddenly pulled his pistol out and aimed it at the leader.
"We're gettin' on that van, mate." he told him. "You can either let us or..." Suddenly, half the Marines from the van jumped out again and fired at them. he spray of bullets tore through Simon, and he fired on the way down. He managed to hit a Marine before hitting the tarmac.
Joe quickly rolled sideways, then jumped up and dived through the hole in the fence to the zoo. He laid on the ground behind a bush as the bullets flew around everywhere.
Henry dived sideways into Lucy, pushing her to the ground as the bullets flew past them. He rolled to his side, taking Lucy with him, as the bullets ripped into the ground where they'd been moments ago. They jumped up and ducked down behind a car, trying to use it as a shield.
George fell to the ground at the same time as aiming his assault rifle at the Marines. He pulled the trigger as he landed on the floor, taking two Marines out almost instantly. The leader dived back into the van, and it started up. Another two Marines jumped in, then the doors slammed shut. The van reversed as the remaining Marines were filled with lead, and spun 180 degrees before promptly racing down the street. George stood up and looked around. He saw Simon on the floor, unmoving and covered in his own blood. He then noticed Henry and Lucy walk out from behind the car. He walked over to them.
"You two ok?" he asked.
"Yeah." Lucy answered. She looked around. "Where's Jim?" she asked.
"Over here!" came a shout. It sounded like Jim, so George, Henry and Lucy ran through the hole towards the voice. They reached Jim, who was crouching down.
"What is it?" Henry asked. Jim pointed over to something in the zoo.
"Look at that." he told them. They did, and saw a couple of beavers eating a dead tourist. Lucy gagged, and nearly threw up. Henry took her back into the street, away from the feeding frenzy. George and Jim stayed and watched.
"Beavers? Why are they eating someone?" George asked.
"I dunno." Jim answered. "Sounds kinda funny, though."
"In a sick way, yeah." George replied. Suddenly, the two beavers looked at them. They squealed quietly, then waddled towards them quickly. They didn't look too menacing. Just like a couple of angry, hungry beavers. George and Jim pulled out their pistols and blasted them. George laughed.
"Not to tough." Jim stated. They suddenly heard a low rumble.
Henry looked at Lucy, who was leaning on a car. "You alright now?" he asked. She nodded.
"I'm just not into seeing stuff like that." she explained.
"Not many people are." Henry replied. Suddenly, George and Jim ran through the hole in the fence and towards them.
"Run!" George ordered, running past them. Henry and Lucy followed the two Marines, wondering what was chasing them. Henry peered over his shoulder and saw a whole army of evil beavers chasing after them. Out of confusion, Henry kept running.
"Why are we getting chased by beavers?" Henry asked.
"Beavers?" Lucy asked, confused. She looked behind her. "What the hell?"
"Just keep running. We're faster then them, and I have a plan." George told them.
After running for a couple of minutes, George leapt up onto the wheel of a dump truck and smashed the window with the butt of his pistol. He quickly unlocked it and slid into the driver's seat. The other three jumped in, squashing together slightly as Jim slammed the door with his remaining arm. George looked for the keys and found them in the glove-box. He started it up as the beaver army turned the corner. George slammed on the gas, and drove towards them. Lucy closed her eyes, and the dump truck rammed into the tiny furry creatures. Blood sprayed upwards, covering the windshield. George used the window-wipers to clear it off as best he could. Jim looked out of the window and behind them. He saw a massive pulp of brown fur and a bloody mess. George carried on driving through the street, past the zoo.
Jake opened his eyes slowly, and looked around slightly. There were about 5 marines in the van, 1 driver, Anna and Michelle. He looked at the Marines. "What's going on?" he asked. One of them looked at him.
"We're gonna find out if it worked." he replied.
"If what worked?" Jake asked him. Before the Marine could answer him, the van suddenly jolted and tipped onto one side. Everyone screamed, and the two women woke up suddenly. Something smashed through the side of the van and grabbed one Marine. He screamed as it crushed his neck into a paste. Jake grabbed Anna and Michelle, and kicked open the back door of the van. The other Marines were too busy firing at the massive creature to notice them escape.
Michelle stopped after they turned the third corner. "Wait!" she told the other two. The stopped and looked at her. She pointed up the hill. "Up there. Factory." she tried to explain.
"What about it?" Anna asked her.
"We could use it to hide in. It's probably got loads of useful stuff in it." Michelle replied.
"Good idea." Jake said. "Let's go." They then ran up the hill towards the factory.
The factory was deserted. Nobody was in it, not even zombies. Jake, Anna and Michelle looked through the building just to make sure, then decided that it was empty. "This looks as good a place as any to find useful stuff." Anna stated. Jake nodded.
"Yeah. But first we'd better find the others." he said.
"Where the hell would they be?" Michelle asked.
George drove straight through a group of zombies in the dump truck he was driving. As they mashed under the wheels, he laughed. Lucy felt ill from all the blood and sounds of death, and Henry held her arm. Jim looked at his stump, moving it around a bit. It didn't hurt as much anymore. "Hey," he said, mainly to George. George looked at him whilst driving down a straight road. "I'm not gonna get infected like this, am I?" he asked. George shrugged. Jim just looked out of the window again.
"Woah, over there." Henry suddenly said, pointing ahead of them. A van was on it's side, and a huge hole was torn into the top. It was the military van Jake and his friends had been captured in. George stopped the truck next to it, and they got out to look at the mess. George and Jim walked through the hole, guns drawn. They saw the Marines from earlier ripped to shreds. But they couldn't see Jake, Anna or Michelle. They walked back out.
"They're not here." George announced.
"Where the hell'd they go?" Jim asked.
"We've gotta find them." Lucy told them. "They'll die if we don't help them."
"They're probably already dead." George said bluntly. "I say we carry on to the airport so we can escape this place."
"Hell with that." Henry replied. "We'll find them first, then escape."
"Why should we risk our lives for them?" Jim asked. "We hardly know them."
"Because they know what's happening, and how to survive." Henry explained. "They've been through it before."
"Good. Then they'll be alright without us." Greg replied.
"Yeah." Henry said. "But we won't. We don't stand a chance. We need them to help us." Greg was about to say something, but let out a loud breath instead.
"Fair enough." he said, giving in. "Let's go on a search." He got back in the truck, as did the others. George started it up again, and drove past the wreckage.
"We're dead." Michelle stated, looking around. Jake and Anna looked at her.
"We'll be fine." Anna told her. "We've done this before."
"Yeah, but last time there was more of us, and less of them." Michelle reminded her.
"We'll be alright." Jake said. "Henry and the others are probably on their way to the airport. We might be able to catch up with them."
"You live in LA?" Michelle asked him.
"No." Jake answered.
"You know where the airport is?" Michelle asked.
"No." Jake answered. "But there's gotta be a map somewhere. Probably in this warehouse."
"I couldn't find one." Anna told him.
"There's bound to be one at the zoo." Jake said.
"Oh, no." Michelle replied. "Screw that. Those animals are probably infected. And free."
"She's right." Anna stated. "What about the police station?"
"Yeah. That'll also have weapons in, too." Jake agreed.
"And zombies." Michelle added.
"Yeah, probably." Anna told her. "But it's our best chance."
"They could have a radio. We could call for help." Jake said, carrying on with the advantages of the precinct.
"What, with the military on our trail?" Michelle replied. "They'd find us easily."
"Ok, we won't use the radio." Jake said. "We'll get weapons, a map, then go to the airport."
"Good enough for me." Anna told him.
"I suppose so." Michelle added reluctantly.
"We'll need something to drive." Jake stated. "I saw a car nearby, just down the road. We could get to that."
"Well, the road seems deserted. May as well." Anna replied. Jake nodded, then jogged to the door of the warehouse. He looked out, down both ways of the street, then waved the other two out. They ran past him, and Anna spotted the car. She ran towards it, closely followed by Michelle, then Jake. She pulled at the door handle. It was unlocked, and Anna got in the driver's seat. She unlocked all the other doors. Jake got in the other side, and Michelle sat behind them. They closed the doors, and Anna looked around for the keys. They were in the glove-box, and she twisted them in the ignition. The car started up, and she drove it down the street.
George suddenly stopped the dumpster dead in it's tracks. This surprised Henry and Lucy, who had fallen asleep, waking them up. Jim could see what George saw, and smiled. George looked at him. "Shall we?" he asked.
"We shall." Jim replied, opening the door and jumping down to the road. George opened his door and got out, also. Henry and Lucy followed.
"What the hell are you doing?" Henry asked, then saw them jogging over to the weapon shop nearby. He stopped in the middle of the road, and Lucy stood next to him.
"What are they doing?" she asked.
"Getting more guns, I think." Henry answered. The two Marines kicked the door open and ran in. Henry and Lucy heard a gunshot, then Jim leaned out of the door.
"Make sure nothing's coming." he shouted to them. Henry held his hand up to him, Jim nodded, then went back in the shop. Henry changed his gesture, and stuck his middle finger up at where Jim was.
"I just want to get outta here." Lucy told Henry. He put his arm around her.
"We will." he told her. "Very soon, we'll be at the airport, and we can get a plane and fly to safety." Suddenly, a roar echoed through the cold night air. "Preferably sooner than later." Henry added after the roar finished. "Hey, guys!" he called to the two Marines. "Time to be going!" George and Jim walked out of the shop carrying about three handguns, 2 assault rifles and a shotgun each. Except Jim only had 1 assault rifle, because he only had one useful shoulder to hang it from. They obviously had a lot of ammo, too. They walked over to them.
"I don't see anything." George stated.
"Something's coming." Lucy told her. "Didn't you hear it?"
"That thing probably wasn't coming anywhere near us." Jim argued. They walked over to the truck. Henry opened the door, and Lucy got in. Henry followed, and George passed the guns over to him. Jim gave them his guns as well, and walked round the truck to get in the other side. George started the truck up as Jim slammed the door shut. Jim looked at Lucy. "See. Nothing's coming. We coulda taken more weapons."
"I think we have enough here." Henry told him. Jim turned his attention to him.
"Don't forget that we've got the whole of LA's population against us. We're gonna need a lot more than that." Jim explained, angrily.
"We don't have to fight everyone in LA." Henry replied. "Only those that are a threat. We only shoot if we have to."
"You giving me orders?" Jim asked, starting to take a dislike to Henry.
"I'm giving you advice on how to stay alive." Henry answered, also starting to get pissed off.
"Shut up, both of you." George said suddenly. "I'm trying to concentrate. I don't need you two bitching at each other." Jim looked away from Henry, and to the road ahead. So did Henry. Lucy put her hand in his, gripping it. She put her head on his shoulder, and closed her eyes. Henry looked down at her, and rested his head back on the seat, and tried to get some sleep.
Anna stopped the car outside the police precinct. They looked at it. It seemed quiet. "We'll go in the front. If there's too many, we'll come back here and get the hell outta here." he told them. Anna nodded. They opened the doors of the car and got out, guns drawn. They jogged over to the main entrance, and leaned against the wall next to it. Jake took in a long breath, then spun round. He kicked the door open, aiming his gun around the main room. Anna and Michelle followed. It was deserted.
"So much for the difficult bit." Michelle said, walking in. Jake and Anna followed, keeping an eye out.
"They must've left to find more food." Anna stated.
"Probably." Jake replied. "May as well search the place. Be easier than we thought." He walked over to another door and opened it. The room was deserted as well. He looked at the other two. "This way." he said. They followed him into the room. Michelle quickly walked over to a desk and picked up a folded sheet of paper. She held it up.
"Bingo." she said to the other two, who turned to look at her. She showed them what she'd found. "Map of LA. One for tourists. Which you can find in a lot of shops around LA. Why the hell'd we come here for?" she asked.
"I forgot, alright." Jake told her. "Besides, this place'll have weapons. Normal corner shops don't." He turned around to continue searching.
Soon, they found a set of stairs leading to the basement level. Jake looked at Anna. "I bet that's where they keep the guns." he told her, then took a couple of steps down the concrete stairs.
"And prisoners." Anna added, then followed him. Michelle didn't say anything, and quickly followed Anna. Jake reached the bottom of the stairs, tightly gripping his handgun. He knew he didn't have a lot of ammo - about 24 bullets - so prayed he wouldn't meet anything undead. He heard Anna and Michelle's footsteps as the reached the bottom, and he slowly walked down the corridor. It was colder than upstairs, but not cold enough to make you shiver.
Jake reached the end of the corridor. He leaned against the edge of the wall, then spun around the corner, aiming his gun down the next hallway. Nothing was there. He relaxed his aim, then nodded to Anna and Michelle. He walked down this new corridor, noticing metal cages in the wall. Prison cells. He looked in them as he walked past, and noticed a shape in the third one. Before he could say anything, the body pulled out a gun and fired repeatedly at Jake. He jumped backwards, leaning against the wall, out of sight.
"Hey, hold your fire!" Jake shouted to the prisoner. "I'm not a zombie!" The person stopped firing into the wall. Jake peered around the corner. He saw a middle-aged man sitting in the corner, aiming a gun at him.
"We're here to help." Anna told him, still hiding round the corner of the cell. The man slowly stood up, and walked to the metal bars for the door. He looked at the three humans.
"You don't look like much of a rescue team to me." he stated.
"Trust me, we know what we're doing." Jake reassured him. "Why don't you come outta there? It'll make it easier if we do things quickly." The man shook his head.
"It's safer here." he told them.
"From zombies, yeah." Jake replied. "But there are other things around, and they'll make short work of this door."
"We don't have a lot of time." Michelle stated. As she said that, a group of 5 zombies turned the corner Jake, Anna and Michelle had gone round. Michelle saw them first, quickly followed by the other two.
"Jesus, if you don't get outta there now, you'll be dead soon. Safe from zombies or not." Jake told him. "Now hurry up!" The man looked down the corridor and saw the zombies approaching.
"If I die, it'll be your fault." the man said to Jake, then fired a bullet through the lock. The door swung open, and the man walked out. He aimed at the zombies, but Jake pulled him back.
"They're not that bad a threat. Save your ammo." he explained.
"Let's go..." Anna told them, looking at the closely approaching zombies. Anna and Michelle ran down the corridor, followed by Jake and the survivor. They ran through a door, and closed the door. There was a lock on the door, which Michelle quickly twisted. Jake turned around to see another corridor. He looked at the man.
"Do you know where the weapons are kept?" he asked him. The man shook his head.
"No. I didn't take a look around that much." answered the man.
"Damn." Jake said, then started walking down the corridor.
"Who are you, anyway?" the man asked him.
"Oh, yeah. I'm Jake, this is Anna, this is Michelle." Jake answered. "Me and Anna were US Marines, Michelle was someone we rescued from zombies when this first happened near Australia."
"When what happened?" the man asked.
"These people have been infected with a virus. It also infects animals. It travels through the blood, so don't get any of their blood in a cut or something. And don't get bitten." Jake continued.
"Sounds simple enough." the man told him. "My name's Paul."
"Nice to meet you, Paul." Jake told him, carrying on walking.
Henry drifted awake slowly and looked around. He was still in the dump-truck. Lucy was still asleep, Jim was looking out of the side window, and George was concentrating on the dark road. The only light was coming from the lamp-posts on the sides of the road. The roads had been fairly quiet, only the odd zombie shuffling down the street. They weren't much of a threat, so they left them alone. Henry rubbed his eyes and yawned, then looked ahead, down the road. Suddenly a large figure stepped into the path of the truck. "What the hell?" Henry asked quietly. He looked at George. George carried on driving at the thing, and hit it at full force. The truck shook violently, and the creature stabbed it's claw into the bonnet, making it impossible to shake it off.
The impact woke Lucy up, and she saw the creature hanging onto the truck right in front of her. She screamed as George swerved the huge vehicle into a wall. The concrete slab crumpled to dust on impact, and the monster smashed through the building. The crash almost knocked the 4 humans unconscious, and George looked at the others. "You guys alright?" he asked. Jim groaned.
"I think so." Henry replied. He looked into the rubble to see the creature stand up, seemingly unharmed. "Oh, shit." Henry murmured, unbuckling his and Lucy's seat belt. George did the same and jumped out of the door, followed by Henry and Lucy. George turned around.
"Jim, get outta the truck!" he shouted. Jim stirred and opened his eyes to see the monster jump up onto the bonnet. He struggled to unbuckle himself, but he was too slow. The creature smashed it's fist through the glass wind shield, crushing Jim's skull into a red, gooey paste. Lucy screamed, and George turned and ran. Henry grabbed Lucy and followed him.
Jake stopped outside a door. He looked through the small, bulletproof window to see weapons. "Bingo." he said to the others. He tried to open the door, but it was locked. He aimed his gun at the lock and shot three bullets at it. The door spat back glowing orange sparks, but didn't open. Anna looked at Jake.
"Bullet proof doors." she stated. Jake put his gun back in it's holster.
"Damn." he said. He looked to the side of the door and saw an electronic lock. "We need a key card." he stated.
"And a passcode." Michelle added, eyeing the keypad next to it.
"There goes that plan." Anna said. "We should just go to the airport and try to outrun everything."
"That's not guaranteed to work." Jake told her. "But it's the only other plan we've got. Let's do it." He walked down the corridor and turned the corner. "We can't go the way we came. We'll never make it past those zombies." He looked at Paul. "Do you know another way to get back into the main building?" Paul shook his head.
"No." he said. "There might be another way, though. I just don't know."
"Well, no harm in looking, I suppose." Michelle stated. She opened the door next to them and walked through, looking both ways down the corridor. It was empty. She took lead, followed by the others. At the end of the corridor was a door. Michelle opened it, revealing a dark concrete staircase. There was a green, metal door at the top. "I think I found our way out." Michelle told the others, smiling. She ran up the stairs, and the other three walked. Michelle opened the door slightly and peered out. She saw what looked like the back of the police precinct. There were a couple of police cars parked next to a wall, and a large, metal fence opposite. On the other side was a road. Michelle turned around. "Found it." she said, and walked out into the night. Jake, Anna and Paul followed her, but as soon as they took their first steps outside, the gate opened.
All four aimed their guns at the gate, and saw Henry, Lucy and George run through. "Over here!" Michelle shouted at them, trying to get their attention. Lucy turned her head and saw them, and ran over to them. Henry and George followed.
"Get back inside!" Lucy ordered, looking at the door. Before anyone could ask why, the large creature smashed through the fence, twisting the wire like plasticine. Paul immediately headed back inside, followed by Anna, Jake, Michelle, Lucy, Henry and George. George slammed the door to the corridor shut, then noticed everyone slow down. He peered round the others to see a group of about fifteen zombies heading towards them.
The eight humans ran through the streets. Jim's stump was bandaged to hell, but blood still stained the white cloth. He was also in pain, but had to bare with it. The streets were surprisingly quiet and deserted. For LA, this seemed very strange. "Where the hell is everybody?" The other Marine, Simon, asked.
"Shouldn't be this quiet." Anna stated. They carried on walking, then Lucy noticed something.
"That doesn't look good." she said, pointing over to the zoo. The gate was buckled and torn open, and the cages they could see looked the same. The animals were out.
"This virus affects animals, doesn't it?" George asked, worried if the answer was yes.
"Yes." Jake answered. "Keep your eyes peeled. This day is gonna be worse than we all thought." Suddenly a large, white van swerved around the corner and stopped in front of them. The survivors stopped walking, guns raised. The sides of the van opened, and about 5 Marines jumped out, assault rifles pointing at them along with flashlights.
"Freeze!" shouted the one at the front. Probably the leading Marine there. He looked at Jake, Anna and Michelle. He then looked at George, Jim and Simon. He didn't even glance at Henry and Lucy. "Take those three." he said to his team, nodding towards the first three. The Marines ran forward and grabbed them before they could retaliate. Henry stepped forward.
"Where are you taking them?" he shouted. The leader turned to face him.
"It doesn't concern you." he replied bluntly. George stepped towards him.
"What about the rest of us?" he asked.
"You've served your purpose." the leader told him. George stopped moving up to him.
"You're leaving us here?" he asked. "We'll die!"
"That's not our concern." the leader replied. Simon suddenly pulled his pistol out and aimed it at the leader.
"We're gettin' on that van, mate." he told him. "You can either let us or..." Suddenly, half the Marines from the van jumped out again and fired at them. he spray of bullets tore through Simon, and he fired on the way down. He managed to hit a Marine before hitting the tarmac.
Joe quickly rolled sideways, then jumped up and dived through the hole in the fence to the zoo. He laid on the ground behind a bush as the bullets flew around everywhere.
Henry dived sideways into Lucy, pushing her to the ground as the bullets flew past them. He rolled to his side, taking Lucy with him, as the bullets ripped into the ground where they'd been moments ago. They jumped up and ducked down behind a car, trying to use it as a shield.
George fell to the ground at the same time as aiming his assault rifle at the Marines. He pulled the trigger as he landed on the floor, taking two Marines out almost instantly. The leader dived back into the van, and it started up. Another two Marines jumped in, then the doors slammed shut. The van reversed as the remaining Marines were filled with lead, and spun 180 degrees before promptly racing down the street. George stood up and looked around. He saw Simon on the floor, unmoving and covered in his own blood. He then noticed Henry and Lucy walk out from behind the car. He walked over to them.
"You two ok?" he asked.
"Yeah." Lucy answered. She looked around. "Where's Jim?" she asked.
"Over here!" came a shout. It sounded like Jim, so George, Henry and Lucy ran through the hole towards the voice. They reached Jim, who was crouching down.
"What is it?" Henry asked. Jim pointed over to something in the zoo.
"Look at that." he told them. They did, and saw a couple of beavers eating a dead tourist. Lucy gagged, and nearly threw up. Henry took her back into the street, away from the feeding frenzy. George and Jim stayed and watched.
"Beavers? Why are they eating someone?" George asked.
"I dunno." Jim answered. "Sounds kinda funny, though."
"In a sick way, yeah." George replied. Suddenly, the two beavers looked at them. They squealed quietly, then waddled towards them quickly. They didn't look too menacing. Just like a couple of angry, hungry beavers. George and Jim pulled out their pistols and blasted them. George laughed.
"Not to tough." Jim stated. They suddenly heard a low rumble.
Henry looked at Lucy, who was leaning on a car. "You alright now?" he asked. She nodded.
"I'm just not into seeing stuff like that." she explained.
"Not many people are." Henry replied. Suddenly, George and Jim ran through the hole in the fence and towards them.
"Run!" George ordered, running past them. Henry and Lucy followed the two Marines, wondering what was chasing them. Henry peered over his shoulder and saw a whole army of evil beavers chasing after them. Out of confusion, Henry kept running.
"Why are we getting chased by beavers?" Henry asked.
"Beavers?" Lucy asked, confused. She looked behind her. "What the hell?"
"Just keep running. We're faster then them, and I have a plan." George told them.
After running for a couple of minutes, George leapt up onto the wheel of a dump truck and smashed the window with the butt of his pistol. He quickly unlocked it and slid into the driver's seat. The other three jumped in, squashing together slightly as Jim slammed the door with his remaining arm. George looked for the keys and found them in the glove-box. He started it up as the beaver army turned the corner. George slammed on the gas, and drove towards them. Lucy closed her eyes, and the dump truck rammed into the tiny furry creatures. Blood sprayed upwards, covering the windshield. George used the window-wipers to clear it off as best he could. Jim looked out of the window and behind them. He saw a massive pulp of brown fur and a bloody mess. George carried on driving through the street, past the zoo.
Jake opened his eyes slowly, and looked around slightly. There were about 5 marines in the van, 1 driver, Anna and Michelle. He looked at the Marines. "What's going on?" he asked. One of them looked at him.
"We're gonna find out if it worked." he replied.
"If what worked?" Jake asked him. Before the Marine could answer him, the van suddenly jolted and tipped onto one side. Everyone screamed, and the two women woke up suddenly. Something smashed through the side of the van and grabbed one Marine. He screamed as it crushed his neck into a paste. Jake grabbed Anna and Michelle, and kicked open the back door of the van. The other Marines were too busy firing at the massive creature to notice them escape.
Michelle stopped after they turned the third corner. "Wait!" she told the other two. The stopped and looked at her. She pointed up the hill. "Up there. Factory." she tried to explain.
"What about it?" Anna asked her.
"We could use it to hide in. It's probably got loads of useful stuff in it." Michelle replied.
"Good idea." Jake said. "Let's go." They then ran up the hill towards the factory.
The factory was deserted. Nobody was in it, not even zombies. Jake, Anna and Michelle looked through the building just to make sure, then decided that it was empty. "This looks as good a place as any to find useful stuff." Anna stated. Jake nodded.
"Yeah. But first we'd better find the others." he said.
"Where the hell would they be?" Michelle asked.
George drove straight through a group of zombies in the dump truck he was driving. As they mashed under the wheels, he laughed. Lucy felt ill from all the blood and sounds of death, and Henry held her arm. Jim looked at his stump, moving it around a bit. It didn't hurt as much anymore. "Hey," he said, mainly to George. George looked at him whilst driving down a straight road. "I'm not gonna get infected like this, am I?" he asked. George shrugged. Jim just looked out of the window again.
"Woah, over there." Henry suddenly said, pointing ahead of them. A van was on it's side, and a huge hole was torn into the top. It was the military van Jake and his friends had been captured in. George stopped the truck next to it, and they got out to look at the mess. George and Jim walked through the hole, guns drawn. They saw the Marines from earlier ripped to shreds. But they couldn't see Jake, Anna or Michelle. They walked back out.
"They're not here." George announced.
"Where the hell'd they go?" Jim asked.
"We've gotta find them." Lucy told them. "They'll die if we don't help them."
"They're probably already dead." George said bluntly. "I say we carry on to the airport so we can escape this place."
"Hell with that." Henry replied. "We'll find them first, then escape."
"Why should we risk our lives for them?" Jim asked. "We hardly know them."
"Because they know what's happening, and how to survive." Henry explained. "They've been through it before."
"Good. Then they'll be alright without us." Greg replied.
"Yeah." Henry said. "But we won't. We don't stand a chance. We need them to help us." Greg was about to say something, but let out a loud breath instead.
"Fair enough." he said, giving in. "Let's go on a search." He got back in the truck, as did the others. George started it up again, and drove past the wreckage.
"We're dead." Michelle stated, looking around. Jake and Anna looked at her.
"We'll be fine." Anna told her. "We've done this before."
"Yeah, but last time there was more of us, and less of them." Michelle reminded her.
"We'll be alright." Jake said. "Henry and the others are probably on their way to the airport. We might be able to catch up with them."
"You live in LA?" Michelle asked him.
"No." Jake answered.
"You know where the airport is?" Michelle asked.
"No." Jake answered. "But there's gotta be a map somewhere. Probably in this warehouse."
"I couldn't find one." Anna told him.
"There's bound to be one at the zoo." Jake said.
"Oh, no." Michelle replied. "Screw that. Those animals are probably infected. And free."
"She's right." Anna stated. "What about the police station?"
"Yeah. That'll also have weapons in, too." Jake agreed.
"And zombies." Michelle added.
"Yeah, probably." Anna told her. "But it's our best chance."
"They could have a radio. We could call for help." Jake said, carrying on with the advantages of the precinct.
"What, with the military on our trail?" Michelle replied. "They'd find us easily."
"Ok, we won't use the radio." Jake said. "We'll get weapons, a map, then go to the airport."
"Good enough for me." Anna told him.
"I suppose so." Michelle added reluctantly.
"We'll need something to drive." Jake stated. "I saw a car nearby, just down the road. We could get to that."
"Well, the road seems deserted. May as well." Anna replied. Jake nodded, then jogged to the door of the warehouse. He looked out, down both ways of the street, then waved the other two out. They ran past him, and Anna spotted the car. She ran towards it, closely followed by Michelle, then Jake. She pulled at the door handle. It was unlocked, and Anna got in the driver's seat. She unlocked all the other doors. Jake got in the other side, and Michelle sat behind them. They closed the doors, and Anna looked around for the keys. They were in the glove-box, and she twisted them in the ignition. The car started up, and she drove it down the street.
George suddenly stopped the dumpster dead in it's tracks. This surprised Henry and Lucy, who had fallen asleep, waking them up. Jim could see what George saw, and smiled. George looked at him. "Shall we?" he asked.
"We shall." Jim replied, opening the door and jumping down to the road. George opened his door and got out, also. Henry and Lucy followed.
"What the hell are you doing?" Henry asked, then saw them jogging over to the weapon shop nearby. He stopped in the middle of the road, and Lucy stood next to him.
"What are they doing?" she asked.
"Getting more guns, I think." Henry answered. The two Marines kicked the door open and ran in. Henry and Lucy heard a gunshot, then Jim leaned out of the door.
"Make sure nothing's coming." he shouted to them. Henry held his hand up to him, Jim nodded, then went back in the shop. Henry changed his gesture, and stuck his middle finger up at where Jim was.
"I just want to get outta here." Lucy told Henry. He put his arm around her.
"We will." he told her. "Very soon, we'll be at the airport, and we can get a plane and fly to safety." Suddenly, a roar echoed through the cold night air. "Preferably sooner than later." Henry added after the roar finished. "Hey, guys!" he called to the two Marines. "Time to be going!" George and Jim walked out of the shop carrying about three handguns, 2 assault rifles and a shotgun each. Except Jim only had 1 assault rifle, because he only had one useful shoulder to hang it from. They obviously had a lot of ammo, too. They walked over to them.
"I don't see anything." George stated.
"Something's coming." Lucy told her. "Didn't you hear it?"
"That thing probably wasn't coming anywhere near us." Jim argued. They walked over to the truck. Henry opened the door, and Lucy got in. Henry followed, and George passed the guns over to him. Jim gave them his guns as well, and walked round the truck to get in the other side. George started the truck up as Jim slammed the door shut. Jim looked at Lucy. "See. Nothing's coming. We coulda taken more weapons."
"I think we have enough here." Henry told him. Jim turned his attention to him.
"Don't forget that we've got the whole of LA's population against us. We're gonna need a lot more than that." Jim explained, angrily.
"We don't have to fight everyone in LA." Henry replied. "Only those that are a threat. We only shoot if we have to."
"You giving me orders?" Jim asked, starting to take a dislike to Henry.
"I'm giving you advice on how to stay alive." Henry answered, also starting to get pissed off.
"Shut up, both of you." George said suddenly. "I'm trying to concentrate. I don't need you two bitching at each other." Jim looked away from Henry, and to the road ahead. So did Henry. Lucy put her hand in his, gripping it. She put her head on his shoulder, and closed her eyes. Henry looked down at her, and rested his head back on the seat, and tried to get some sleep.
Anna stopped the car outside the police precinct. They looked at it. It seemed quiet. "We'll go in the front. If there's too many, we'll come back here and get the hell outta here." he told them. Anna nodded. They opened the doors of the car and got out, guns drawn. They jogged over to the main entrance, and leaned against the wall next to it. Jake took in a long breath, then spun round. He kicked the door open, aiming his gun around the main room. Anna and Michelle followed. It was deserted.
"So much for the difficult bit." Michelle said, walking in. Jake and Anna followed, keeping an eye out.
"They must've left to find more food." Anna stated.
"Probably." Jake replied. "May as well search the place. Be easier than we thought." He walked over to another door and opened it. The room was deserted as well. He looked at the other two. "This way." he said. They followed him into the room. Michelle quickly walked over to a desk and picked up a folded sheet of paper. She held it up.
"Bingo." she said to the other two, who turned to look at her. She showed them what she'd found. "Map of LA. One for tourists. Which you can find in a lot of shops around LA. Why the hell'd we come here for?" she asked.
"I forgot, alright." Jake told her. "Besides, this place'll have weapons. Normal corner shops don't." He turned around to continue searching.
Soon, they found a set of stairs leading to the basement level. Jake looked at Anna. "I bet that's where they keep the guns." he told her, then took a couple of steps down the concrete stairs.
"And prisoners." Anna added, then followed him. Michelle didn't say anything, and quickly followed Anna. Jake reached the bottom of the stairs, tightly gripping his handgun. He knew he didn't have a lot of ammo - about 24 bullets - so prayed he wouldn't meet anything undead. He heard Anna and Michelle's footsteps as the reached the bottom, and he slowly walked down the corridor. It was colder than upstairs, but not cold enough to make you shiver.
Jake reached the end of the corridor. He leaned against the edge of the wall, then spun around the corner, aiming his gun down the next hallway. Nothing was there. He relaxed his aim, then nodded to Anna and Michelle. He walked down this new corridor, noticing metal cages in the wall. Prison cells. He looked in them as he walked past, and noticed a shape in the third one. Before he could say anything, the body pulled out a gun and fired repeatedly at Jake. He jumped backwards, leaning against the wall, out of sight.
"Hey, hold your fire!" Jake shouted to the prisoner. "I'm not a zombie!" The person stopped firing into the wall. Jake peered around the corner. He saw a middle-aged man sitting in the corner, aiming a gun at him.
"We're here to help." Anna told him, still hiding round the corner of the cell. The man slowly stood up, and walked to the metal bars for the door. He looked at the three humans.
"You don't look like much of a rescue team to me." he stated.
"Trust me, we know what we're doing." Jake reassured him. "Why don't you come outta there? It'll make it easier if we do things quickly." The man shook his head.
"It's safer here." he told them.
"From zombies, yeah." Jake replied. "But there are other things around, and they'll make short work of this door."
"We don't have a lot of time." Michelle stated. As she said that, a group of 5 zombies turned the corner Jake, Anna and Michelle had gone round. Michelle saw them first, quickly followed by the other two.
"Jesus, if you don't get outta there now, you'll be dead soon. Safe from zombies or not." Jake told him. "Now hurry up!" The man looked down the corridor and saw the zombies approaching.
"If I die, it'll be your fault." the man said to Jake, then fired a bullet through the lock. The door swung open, and the man walked out. He aimed at the zombies, but Jake pulled him back.
"They're not that bad a threat. Save your ammo." he explained.
"Let's go..." Anna told them, looking at the closely approaching zombies. Anna and Michelle ran down the corridor, followed by Jake and the survivor. They ran through a door, and closed the door. There was a lock on the door, which Michelle quickly twisted. Jake turned around to see another corridor. He looked at the man.
"Do you know where the weapons are kept?" he asked him. The man shook his head.
"No. I didn't take a look around that much." answered the man.
"Damn." Jake said, then started walking down the corridor.
"Who are you, anyway?" the man asked him.
"Oh, yeah. I'm Jake, this is Anna, this is Michelle." Jake answered. "Me and Anna were US Marines, Michelle was someone we rescued from zombies when this first happened near Australia."
"When what happened?" the man asked.
"These people have been infected with a virus. It also infects animals. It travels through the blood, so don't get any of their blood in a cut or something. And don't get bitten." Jake continued.
"Sounds simple enough." the man told him. "My name's Paul."
"Nice to meet you, Paul." Jake told him, carrying on walking.
Henry drifted awake slowly and looked around. He was still in the dump-truck. Lucy was still asleep, Jim was looking out of the side window, and George was concentrating on the dark road. The only light was coming from the lamp-posts on the sides of the road. The roads had been fairly quiet, only the odd zombie shuffling down the street. They weren't much of a threat, so they left them alone. Henry rubbed his eyes and yawned, then looked ahead, down the road. Suddenly a large figure stepped into the path of the truck. "What the hell?" Henry asked quietly. He looked at George. George carried on driving at the thing, and hit it at full force. The truck shook violently, and the creature stabbed it's claw into the bonnet, making it impossible to shake it off.
The impact woke Lucy up, and she saw the creature hanging onto the truck right in front of her. She screamed as George swerved the huge vehicle into a wall. The concrete slab crumpled to dust on impact, and the monster smashed through the building. The crash almost knocked the 4 humans unconscious, and George looked at the others. "You guys alright?" he asked. Jim groaned.
"I think so." Henry replied. He looked into the rubble to see the creature stand up, seemingly unharmed. "Oh, shit." Henry murmured, unbuckling his and Lucy's seat belt. George did the same and jumped out of the door, followed by Henry and Lucy. George turned around.
"Jim, get outta the truck!" he shouted. Jim stirred and opened his eyes to see the monster jump up onto the bonnet. He struggled to unbuckle himself, but he was too slow. The creature smashed it's fist through the glass wind shield, crushing Jim's skull into a red, gooey paste. Lucy screamed, and George turned and ran. Henry grabbed Lucy and followed him.
Jake stopped outside a door. He looked through the small, bulletproof window to see weapons. "Bingo." he said to the others. He tried to open the door, but it was locked. He aimed his gun at the lock and shot three bullets at it. The door spat back glowing orange sparks, but didn't open. Anna looked at Jake.
"Bullet proof doors." she stated. Jake put his gun back in it's holster.
"Damn." he said. He looked to the side of the door and saw an electronic lock. "We need a key card." he stated.
"And a passcode." Michelle added, eyeing the keypad next to it.
"There goes that plan." Anna said. "We should just go to the airport and try to outrun everything."
"That's not guaranteed to work." Jake told her. "But it's the only other plan we've got. Let's do it." He walked down the corridor and turned the corner. "We can't go the way we came. We'll never make it past those zombies." He looked at Paul. "Do you know another way to get back into the main building?" Paul shook his head.
"No." he said. "There might be another way, though. I just don't know."
"Well, no harm in looking, I suppose." Michelle stated. She opened the door next to them and walked through, looking both ways down the corridor. It was empty. She took lead, followed by the others. At the end of the corridor was a door. Michelle opened it, revealing a dark concrete staircase. There was a green, metal door at the top. "I think I found our way out." Michelle told the others, smiling. She ran up the stairs, and the other three walked. Michelle opened the door slightly and peered out. She saw what looked like the back of the police precinct. There were a couple of police cars parked next to a wall, and a large, metal fence opposite. On the other side was a road. Michelle turned around. "Found it." she said, and walked out into the night. Jake, Anna and Paul followed her, but as soon as they took their first steps outside, the gate opened.
All four aimed their guns at the gate, and saw Henry, Lucy and George run through. "Over here!" Michelle shouted at them, trying to get their attention. Lucy turned her head and saw them, and ran over to them. Henry and George followed.
"Get back inside!" Lucy ordered, looking at the door. Before anyone could ask why, the large creature smashed through the fence, twisting the wire like plasticine. Paul immediately headed back inside, followed by Anna, Jake, Michelle, Lucy, Henry and George. George slammed the door to the corridor shut, then noticed everyone slow down. He peered round the others to see a group of about fifteen zombies heading towards them.