CHAPTER 10

"So, where are we going?" Kylie asked George, leaning over the seat in front of her. "America's covered in those things." George shrugged.
"I dunno. However far we get in this thing, I guess." he replied.
"How far's that?" Dave asked.
"I dunno." George answered. They heard something nearby. Something making a low thundering sound.
"What's that?" Lucy asked.
"I dunno." George replied, looking out of his window. Suddenly, an F-16 jet flew past them, really close.
"Woah, Jesus!" Henry muttered, the jet shaking the helicopter slightly. "What the hell?" he asked as it turned in the air to face them. It hovered where it was for a moment. Suddenly, it fired it's chaingun at the helicopter, the bullets punching through the hull. George swung the helicopter to it's side, avoiding further attack, and the F-16 flew past them and started to turn round to face them again.
"Damn!" George murmured as he noticed the fuel gage dropping fairly quickly. It was night, and the smallish flames protruding from the chopper seemed brighter in the sky. George looked frantically at buttons as the F-16 was almost facing them, then he suddenly punched his finger down on one.
One of the helicopters missiles suddenly rocketed towards the jet, slamming into it, and lighting up the night sky in a huge ball of flame. It fell towards the ground, and hit a large river nobody had noticed. The wreckage sunk under the surface, putting out the blaze.
George looked around the helicopter, knowing he couldn't keep it from crashing much longer. "Ok, here's what we'll have to do!" he called above the loud noise of fire and engine. "I'll put this as low as I can to this river, and you jump out and swim to shore."
"What about you?" Anna asked, realizing he couldn't do that and pilot the helicopter.
"I'm gonna fly this as far as possible. If I reach land, I'll land this thing and run. I'll meet you soon if that's the case." George replied.
"And what's the other case?" Henry asked.
"I crash this thing and die." George answered bluntly. "Go, now!" he yelled, bringing the helicopter as low to the water as possible. Dave yanked the door open and felt the wind blow against him. He jumped out, followed by Kylie, Lucy and Henry. Anna looked at George, then the water rushing by below.
"Good luck!" she shouted over the noise, and jumped from the helicopter. George pulled the aircraft up, narrowly missing the rock formation jutting out from the surface. He flew the craft sideways, over dry land, and looked frantically for a place to land. He spotted a flat area and quickly landed on it. Without shutting the engine down, he jumped out of the craft and ran from it. It suddenly exploded into a massive ball of fire, hurling him forwards and over a rock. He rolled up close to the rock as cover from flying debris.

Dave dragged his cold, drenched body onto the river bank. He rolled onto his back, breathing hard and shaking. He could see his breath as it reacted with the freezing night air. He quickly rolled back over and kneeled over the river as Kylie swam over to him. He could hear her breathing and the chattering of her teeth. He reached down and grabbed her arm, helping her onto dry land. Kylie rolled onto her back, unable to move. She was freezing. Dave helped Lucy onto shore as soon as Kylie rolled over. Dave looked around the river. Henry and Anna were missing.
Henry floated on the surface of the river. It was fairly dark. He could hear splashing nearby. "Anna?" he called, noticing the other three on the shore nearby. "That you?"
"Yeah," came a voice. "Where are you?" she called.
"Over here." Henry replied. Anna started towards the voice. "The others are on the..."
Suddenly, a large explosion down the river lit up the night, making a deafening bang. Anna was able to see Henry now. "I see you!" she called, swimming towards him. Henry noticed Anna, but also something, or somethings, sliding into the river on the other side.
"I see something else too..." he stated. Anna reached him. "Something's in here with us, we gotta swim fast!" he claimed, and they both swam as fast as their exhausted bodies would allow them.
Dave noticed both humans as the explosion briefly turned night into day, and also three crocodile shaped creatures slide into the river on the other bank. "Hurry up!" he called. "Those things are coming!" Henry and Anna reached the bank, and Dave pulled Anna out of the water first. She rolled along the ground, quickly standing up and running back to Dave. She noticed the crocodiles closing in on Henry fast. So did the others, including Henry.
"Shit!" Henry yelled. "Get me outta here!" he added. Lucy ran over to the bank and pulled out her gun. She pointed it at the creature as a worn out Dave and a fairly worn out Anna grabbed both of Henry's arms. She fired at the thing in the water, the shots lighting the place up so they could get a better look at the things. Henry was pulled up on shore as the first creature crashed into the bank. He ran over to Lucy and grabbed her.
"This way!" Anna called, and ran along a dirt path. The others followed her, Henry and Lucy last. As the final two reached the path, they heard a large splash behind them. Both Henry and Lucy looked behind them to see one of the crocodiles walking after them. They could see it clearer now, noticing it was definitely infected with the disease.
"Run!" Henry yelled, dragging Lucy with him. The crocodile gave chase as fast as it's clunky body would allow. The other humans ran as fast as they could along the path, thankful of no more creatures along the way.

George walked into the middle of the road. He'd found another deserted town, only this time he was alone. The street lamps were on, something he thought was slightly strange. The power must still be on. He gripped his pistol tightly, incase he noticed anything that could be a threat. He walked along the road, looking at the few cars on the road. If something happened, he could just take one and get out of there.
He checked his ammo. Two more clips after this one in his beretta, two for his assault rifle, and the first one was half empty. "Gonna have to use this wisely..." he muttered. Suddenly he spotted someone duck into an alleyway nearby. Without thinking, he fired a shot at the figure, hitting the wall. He ran to the alleyway, pointing his gun down it. Nobody was there.
"Who's there?" he called. No answer. "I'm here to help." George called. Slowly, someone walked out from behind a trash can. George trained his gun on the person. "Who are you?" he asked.
"My name's Rachel. Rachel Hall." the woman replied. George looked at her. She looked about 20 or 25. Long brown hair. Her clothes were a mess, but she was human. She looked scared slightly.
"You alone here, Rachel?" he asked, wondering if there were any more survivors. Rachel nodded. "Where are they?" George asked, eager to find more help.
"A few roads away. I'm now on my way there. A group of us are hiding in a secure house." Rachel explained.
"You got a gun on you?" George asked her, changing the subject slightly. He was in a rush. Rachel pulled out a magnum. "Where'd you find that?" he asked, amazed.
"Some guy back at the house gave it to me for this trip. But it's out of bullets." Rachel replied. George took out the two beretta clips and handed Rachel his gun. He passed her the clips.
"This is loaded. Take it you know how it works." George stated. He took his assault rifle from over his shoulder. "Right. Lead the way."

Anna pushed through a bush into an open area. In the center was the flaming wreckage of the helicopter they'd been riding in minutes before. The other humans followed her. Henry looked back through the bush. "I think we lost it." he stated. Anna walked towards the wreckage.
"George!" she shouted, hoping he'd made it out of the helicopter before it exploded. Dave and Henry looked through the wreckage as best they could.
"Can't find him." Dave stated. "Maybe he got out in time." Henry kicked over a large sheet of metal with his boot, knowing the metal was too hot to touch. Still nothing.
"Maybe." Henry replied. "But where'd he go?"
"I think I know." Lucy answered. "Look." The others ran over to her and saw she was pointing down at some footprints in the mud.
"How are we gonna follow them round the corner?" Kylie asked. "There's not enough light." Anna turned around and looked at the wreckage. She walked over to a bush and yanked a large, long section out. She stuck the end in the fire, creating a torch.
"This should do." Anna stated, walking back to the others. "As long as the wind doesn't pick up." She walked past the others and started following the footprints. The others swiftly followed, looking back at the burning wreckage briefly.

Rachel walked up to the last house on the right side of the road. She knocked on the door twice, and waved at George to make him run over to her as well. "It's me." Rachel said through the door. "I've found a survivor." There was silence, then the sound of locks unlocking and chains being taken off. The door opened, and Rachel and George walked in the house.
The door shut behind them, and George felt someone push him against the wall. Two people. He didn't have time to react before he was unable to move. The lights of the hallway came on. "Jesus Christ!" George shouted. "What the hell?"
"Let him go!" Rachel ordered.
"He's one of them!" replied an angry sounding man, about the same age as Rachel.
"One of who?" George shouted at him. "I'm not a damn zombie! Listen! You hear me talking?" he tried to convince them.
"Shut up!" the man replied. "What are you doing here?"
"I've come to help. But I can't do that if you keep me held up against the damn wall!" George answered.
"Bullshit. You're one of them. Where's your team?" the man questioned.
"Who the hell are you talking about? I'm not a zombie!" George repeated, dreading following the girl here.
"No shit you're not." the man replied. "You're with the army." George stopped struggling slightly and rolled his eyes back.
"Used to be." he said. "I quit right about the time they tried killing me and my team."
"What the fuck are you talking about?" the man asked, not sure if he should believe the uniformed soldier.
"You heard. The military took out most of my team and kidnapped some people because of this whole zombie scenario." George explained. "Now get off me so I can give you the full story!" With that, the two men unhanded him, and George spun around to face them. The man he'd been talking to looked about 25, with short black hair. The other was fairly fat, 23 years old maybe. There were two more people, one girl and one man, about the same age. They all looked like they'd been wearing the same clothes for days on end.
"Ok. What's your story?" the man asked.
"Got anywhere to sit?" George wanted to know. "This is gonna take a while."

Anna stopped as soon as the footprints disappeared. They'd reached a sidewalk. A town. The others noticed the lack of footprints. "Ok, now what?" Dave asked, looking at the town in case he caught a glimpse of movement.
"I don't know I doubt it would be wise to shout though." Anna replied.
"Why?" Kylie asked.
"Because we've also got the whole of the military on our tail as well." Henry answered bluntly. "We don't want to make ourselves obvious to find."
"Guess not." Kylie said. Something caught her eye. "Hey, over there..." she stated. Everyone else noticed the person run round the corner. Anna quickly ran towards the next road, followed by the others. She turned it to see someone walking along the sidewalk.
"Hey!" Anna called quietly as to not bring unwanted attention. The person turned around. He was a man, about 20. He looked like a homeless guy. Only with a gun. He aimed it at them. "Woah, hold your fire!" Anna shouted as the others ducked back around the corner. The man hesitated, then lowered his gun.
"Who are you?" he asked her. Suddenly, without warning, a large snake-like creature smashed it's head out of a nearby drain and gripped the man between it's teeth. The man screamed as the others aimed their guns at the creature, but it disappeared again before they got a clean shot. There was a deathly silence surrounding the humans. Nobody dared to move.
"What the fuck?" Dave whispered, still staring at the drain.
"This is not good." Anna stated the obvious.
"Now what?" Lucy asked, unable to move, just like the others.
"We'd best find George and get outta here." Anna said.
"What if that thing got him?" Kylie asked, wanting to leave the town fast.
"We don't know that yet." Henry stated. "We've gotta find him. We can't just leave him here."
"Why not?" Dave questioned. "Not wanting to be a bastard or anything, but if he is dead, we could waste our lives finding that out. You saw how fast that thing was, didn't you?"
"He's the only one except me who can fly us outta here when we get another aircraft." Anna answered. "I don't wanna be the only one, in case I wind up dead. And we don't leave our people behind." Anna turned back to the road. "Keep away from the drains. We'll get to that alleyway, then use the rooftops." she ordered. "On my mark, run like hell."
"Oh dear..." Lucy murmured, and they all got ready to run.
"Now!" Anna said, sprinting towards the alley at the end of the road. The others copied, and they could hear the rumbling of the creature beneath the road.
It suddenly burst through another drain, swinging it's head at the sound of the running. Before noticing were it's targets were, it hit Lucy with the side of it's head. She screamed slightly as she was knocked through the air and against a parked car, denting the door slightly. The others noticed, and fired at the creature. It didn't have time to go after Lucy, and hid below the surface.
Henry ran over to Lucy and picked her up. They could hear the rumbling below them. "Come on!" Anna yelled, continuing towards the alley. They all followed her, hearing the rumbling. Anna reached the alley and noticed a ladder leading up to the roof of the tall apartment next to it. "There!" she shouted, jumping up and grabbing it. She climbed quickly as Kylie grabbed the ladder behind her. Dave waited a short moment as Kylie made her way up, then grabbed the rung in front of him. He looked back at Henry and Lucy, who had just made it to the alley.
The snake burst out of the drain behind them, roaring as it rose into the air. It lunged for the two humans, but Henry dived to the side, pushing Lucy with him. The snake's face crashed into the ground, and rose up again. Dave fired again at the creature, and it backed up into the road. Henry jumped up with Lucy, and they ran to the ladder. Dave was now half way up the building when Lucy grabbed the ladder and started climbing.
The snake roared again, and lunged at the two humans. Henry jumped sideways, and the snake wasn't at the right level to even touch Lucy. But it was close. "Henry!" she yelled, not seeing him jump out of the way.
Anna helped Kylie over the edge of the building, and remembered something. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a grenade. It had totally slipped her mind. She leant over the edge of the building and looked down. Dave was almost at the top of the ladder, and Lucy was near the bottom. Anna also saw Henry standing up, and the snake creature starting to back up into the road for a better shot at him.
"Hey!" she yelled at Henry. He looked up and saw her. "Catch!" she ordered, and dropped the grenade down to him. It landed in the center of the alley. And the snake was now in a good position to strike. He looked at the snake, then the grenade. He looked back at the snake, not moving. Waiting for the snake to strike, allowing him to dodge it and grab the grenade. He held his breath, waiting for the right moment.
The snake didn't strike. The seconds seemed like minutes, everyone was quiet. A thought popped into Henry's head.
It can't see me if I don't move...
He wasn't sure if this was good or not. He knew he couldn't stand still for long. But if he was wrong, he could misjudge it and wind up dead. Something moved in the corner. Henry didn't move but could see out of the corner of his eye Lucy fall off the ladder and onto the ground. The snake obviously noticed, as it roared again. Lucy screamed.
"Shit!" Henry muttered as the snake leaned it's head back slightly, ready to lunge. He rolled into the center of the alley, picking up the grenade and standing next to Lucy, picking her up too. He jumped backwards with her as the snake smashed into the ladder, shattering the metal like it was glass.
Henry hit the ground on his back, Lucy landing on her side next to him. He pulled the pin out of the grenade as the snake pulled back. He hurled it into it's opened mouth and helped Lucy up again. "Run!" he yelled as the snake got back into the road. Henry and Lucy ran past a large dumpster and ducked behind it.
Anna, Kylie and Dave watched the show below, and saw the grenade being thrown into the snake's mouth. "I think we'd better duck." Dave stated. Anna looked away from the snake and at him.
"Don't you wanna watch?" she asked. "Don't worry, we're safe up here. The blast isn't that big." Dave looked at Kylie, and she looked at him. The both ducked behind the raised edge of the building. Anna looked at them, shrugged, and looked down at the snake. Suddenly, it's skull exploded, sending fragments of bone and flesh up into the air. Before she could move, a large chunk of the snake's flesh hit her in the chest, knocking her onto her back. Dave and Kylie kept low until it had stopped raining snake chunks, and looked over at Anna. She was covered in the snake's blood.
"Told you to duck." Dave stated.

"What was that?" Rachel asked, peering through a slot in a bordered up window.
"Sounded like an explosion." the black haired man, Alex, answered.
"That's gotta be the others..." George stated, standing up. "We've gotta go help them."
"We're not leaving until Jerry gets back!" Alex ordered, almost shouting.
"Fine, I'll go myself." George argued, heading for the door. Alex grabbed his arm. George spun around, ready for a confrontation.
"Me and Bert will go too." he said. The fat man looked up.
"Great." he muttered.
"I'm coming too." Rachel stated. Alex turned to face her.
"No you're not. You're staying here." he ordered, softly this time.
"She can go instead of me," Bert insisted. "I mean, if we gotta run, I'm not gonna be a help." he joked.
"Guess so. Give her your gun." Alex said. Rachel took her beretta out of her belt.
"I got one." she stated. "Let's find these people and get back."
"That'd be wise." George replied. "There's worse things out there than zombies."
"Like what?" Alex asked, not having come across anything but zombies. Suddenly, a load roar echoed through the quiet night.
"Like that." George answered.

Henry and Lucy finally reached the top of the building by pushing the dumpster under the broken ladder. Anna had wiped off most of the blood. "Everyone ok?" she asked. Everyone nodded. "Good. We should be safe up here."
"About time we were safe somewhere." Kylie stated. As soon as she said that, a nearby roar sent yet another shiver down everyone's spine.
"That's just great. That's real funny." Lucy said sarcastically.
"Sounded like it came from ground level." Henry stated. "If we stay up here, we should be fine." Suddenly, on the far side of the building, the creature that had been chasing them around earlier, the one that also killed Michelle, hauled itself up onto the roof. It stood up and looked at the five humans. None of them moved.
"Holy fucking shit..." Dave whispered. "This is you're idea of safe?" Anna backed up and looked down into the alley. Looking straight back up was...
"Another one..." she stated. "There's another down there." Henry looked down and saw it.
"Shit!" he cursed. The creature on the roof started towards them. "We're screwed."