Chapter 5
Since the first scream over two hours ago, the area in front of the police station had become an armed blockade. Police cruisers formed a loose barrier that officers stood behind, shooting anything decaying that shuffled into their view.
Men in riot gear tried in vain to push back the approaching army of the undead, but most ended up eaten alive.
In the first hour, dozens of civilians had arrived, seeking shelter in the safety of the police station. Now, only the occasional survivor managed to slip through.
Mulder had long ago ran out of ammo for the shotgun and had resorted to the magnum. A carefully placed bullet in the head of a zombie caused it to explode in a burst of bloody tendrils and brain matter. Unfortunately, the gun only held six rounds, and Mulder had to struggle to constantly reload it before he was the next to die.
Behind him, Scully rushed to the aid of fallen officers, using a first-aid kit to bandage their wounds. It was a lost cause-they'd probably join the undead shortly.
Hearing a helicopter, Mulder looked up. A bright searchlight lit a clear section of road a short distance ahead and heavily armed men quickly rappelled to the ground. He noticed that their olive green uniforms had the Umbrella logo embroidered on the back.
"Come to clean up your mess?" Mulder mumbled, shooting a round into another zombie. "You're a little late."
The group of Umbrella soldiers quickly became targeted by the viral carriers. One young man, early twenties at most, shouted at the approaching monsters. "You want some?" he shouted. Pulling a pin on a grenade, he tossed it towards them and dived out of the way. "Die!"
The zombies exploded in a hail of fire and congealed blood.
The man threw grenade after grenade, which blew up abandoned cars and tore streetlamps from the pavement. Within minutes though, he was soon the meal for at least a dozen of the undead.
A second helicopter flew past overhead, flying further into the city. No doubt Umbrella's second team. Mulder wished them better luck than the first.
Click.
Mulder shook the empty shells from the magnum and reached into his side packs. They were empty. "Son of a-"
Quickly checking the trunk of his gray sedan, he found that the ammo was gone; he hadn't realized he had went through it so fast.
Mulder still had his FBI issue berretta, but knew it would be less than effective against the seemingly unending flow of the undead.
Looking around, he could see that the war was almost over, and the living weren't going to be the victors. "Scully!" he shouted. "It's no use. We have to fall back and fortify our position in the station." She nodded and began spreading the news.
"Aaagh!"
Mulder turned to see a zombie sinking it's teeth into Officer Marvin's shoulder. Un-strapping the shotgun from his back, Mulder ran over to the officers aid. Gripping the barrel like a baseball bat, he brought the gun down on the former woman's skull.
It caved in like a rotten melon, and the thing collapsed with a wet plop.
Mulder supported the wounded man and walked him into the station. "Thanks," Marvin said weakly.
"Don't mention it." Mulder said as he helped him up the wooden ramp.
"Can you take me to the Locker Room? It's right here on the left."
Mulder nodded and opened the carved wooden door with his free hand. The room was a disaster. Remains of desks lay on the floor, the leftovers from when Mulder had ordered all the windows to be barricaded. Paperwork and files covered the gray tile, and most of the lockers throughout the room hung open, their hinges bent.
With a sudden burst of strength, the officer pulled himself away from Mulder and limped to his locker. He pulled out a small photograph and grinned weakly, but the short walk had taken it's toll on him. Not having the energy to stand, he slid to the floor and laid his back against the wall.
"My wife." he said smiling, tapping the picture lightly. Suddenly sullen, he placed the photo on the ground beside him. "She's visiting her mother in Oregon. I just wish...I wish I could say good bye to her."
Mulder crouched down beside him. "Hey, you're going to be fine..."
"Bull...I'm already dead, and you know it."
There was shouting from out in the main hall. Mulder quickly stood and took a step towards the door, but stopped and looked back at the wounded man.
"Don't worry about me." Marvin said weakly. "Just go..."
Mulder nodded sullenly and left the room.
Chief Irons was angrily shouting at Scully. "I don't care what agency you're from! I'm the one that gives the orders around here."
"Sir," Scully said, trying to keep her voice level. "some of these people can barely walk. I think..."
"I don't give a damn what you think!"
Just than a tall man wearing an expensive, albeit wrinkled suit walked up to Irons.
"Mayor Harris," Irons said, his voice suddenly light and even. "As you can see, I have everything under control around here."
The mayor didn't seem to hear him. "My daughter," Harris said, almost pleading. "Irons, you have to protect my daughter. I'm in no condition... If anything happens to Beverly as well, I don't know what I'll do."
"Don't worry sir," Irons said, unsuccessfully trying to suck in his large stomach. "I promise that you and your daughter are going to be fine."
Harris nodded weakly and slowly walked backed to join his 18 year old daughter.
Irons turned back to Scully. "As for you," he said, pushing her on the shoulder with a pudgy finger. "I don't want..."
Mulder stepped in and grabbed Irons sweaty hand. "How about you just keep your hands to yourself?"
Irons looked up at Mulder, who was at least a head taller than him. He threw a menacing look at Scully. "You just keep her out of my way." With that, he pulled his arm from Mulder's grasp and left, shouting orders to the remaining officers.
Mulder watched him. "Unbelievable. We're under attack by zombies, and he's still kissing the mayor's ass."
Scully looked at Mulder. "He's going to be transferring everybody down to the parking lot soon, but I don't think it's a good idea to move some of them right now."
"Ok, I'll try to delay him. Here," Mulder said, handing her a couple of his side packs. "We're going to need ammo later, lots of it. See what you can do about filling these up."
She nodded and took the bag. "There's a weapons locker next to the morgue. I'll go see if there's anything remaining after the last weapons raid."
Mulder watched her leave.
"Amazing," A woman said from the receptionist station. "I've never seen anyone stand up to Irons before. I'm impressed."
Mulder turned and saw a young, finely dressed woman sitting behind the counter. While most of the civilians were panicking or crying, she seemed strangely calm.
"What's your name?" she asked, and Mulder noticed she had a slight Asian accent.
"Mulder," he said. "Fox Mulder."
"Fox?" she said, a hint of a smile at the corner of her ruby red lips. "That's a unique name."
"I'm a unique person." he said, sitting down beside her. "And what's your name?"
"Ada," she said, pushing a strand of her short, silky black hair out of her eyes. "Ada Wong."