Chapter 26: Breaking and Entering
Omega
Karla quickly ran to the source of the gunfire, bent on finding out what was going on. By the time she and Holy got there, however, all they found were four Marines, one shaken very badly, and a dead body. From the dress, it looked as if the person used to be an office worker.
"Marine!" She yelled, angry at seeing a dead civilian, "Report!"
The Marine noticeably cringed under her voice, and replied, "I tried calm him down, ma'am, but he just kept coming at me! He kept coming, moving forward and trying to bite me!"
"I had to shoot him." One of the other Marines added, nodding to the body, "But he was a tough little bastard. Took a full magazine before he stayed down."
Karla took one more glance at the scene and turned to Holy and said, "Take care of the body, Holy. I don't want him just sitting herein the middle of the isle." She then turned to the four Marines and said, "And I want you four to get back to searching. And if you do find any survivors, please call for help before you decide to shoot them."
The four Marines nodded, and with a quick, "Yes, ma'am!" They quickly took off down the isle. Karla then turned on her radio and checked on the status of her other teams.
"This is team two, nothing yet."
"Team three here, I think we've got something you might want to see, Captain."
Robles
"It appears that things are not turning out in your favor." Said a strange, oddly disembodied voice.
"Patience," replied a second, similar being, "Humans can be…unpredictable… at times."
"Well, you must hope that they act in your favor quickly," The first being retorted, "or the consequences will be quite severe."
"I know what is at stake here. They will pull through."
With that, both of the ghostly figures dissipated into the air.
Meanwhile, like the odd beings had mentioned, things were not going well for the group of Marines stranded in Robles. They had managed to reach the radio station, but were unable to find a route inside. It appeared as if a previous group of people had barricaded themselves inside building. Every door and window was blocked or boarded up, denying access to anybody with even a thought of entering.
"Crap," Leo muttered, "how are we supposed to get in?" He looked nervously at Paccone, hoping that he would have an answer.
"And we better hurry," Kumi added, "the wounded aren't doing too well."
True to her words, the wounded civilian and Sam were in bad shape. The civilian, who had deep gash in his side, was unconscious, but the expression on his face suggested he was in severe pain. Sam, on the other hand, had a wound on her shoulder that looked as if something tried to bite her entire arm off. Kumi had managed to bandage the wound and stop the bleeding, but Sam still looked somewhat pale and dazed, though she was still lucid enough to follow orders and move unsupported.
"Why don't we just blow the door down? We've got explosives." Said Siler.
"If we blow the door down," Paccone said calmly, "then there won't be anything to keep the zombies out."
"Good point, sir." Siler said, abashed.
"Who's that? Who's out there?"
The Marines turned around in surprise. They hadn't come from any of them. It instead was coming from inside the door.
"Who's in there?" Paccone snapped.
"Why is your business? Just go away and leave us alone!"
"Let us in!" cried Mann, slowly inching toward the door, "We're Marines!"
Suddenly, there was a loud BANG! Mann fell backwards, gazing at a hole several inches in diameter in the door. There was an audible click and the clattering on a shotgun shell on the floor. The voice then spoke up again.
"Bullshit! I'm not going to fall for a cheap trick like that! You're just like all of the rest who came in!"
"The rest?" Leo eyed the others nervously. "What exactly happened to the rest?"
"The bastards all turned into those… those things out there!" The voice replied hotly. "I'll be damned if I let you in!"
There was more sharp clicking, indicating that the man was reloading his shotgun. Leo looked over to Paccone, who silently pointed to the door and mouthed, On three. Leo immediately understood the message and readied himself. Kumi and the other Marines backed off to clear the way. Leo looked at Paccone again, who raised three fingers.
Three…"You better stay back! I've got enough ammo here to blow you back to the Stone Age ten times over!"
Two…"Do you hear me? I'll kill anybody who tries to get in!"
One.
In a blinding flash of speed, both Leo and Paccone rushed the door. Paccone slammed into the door with his entire body, crushing the wooden planks that were hastily nailed over the door, and bashed the door in. Leo quickly ran in, tackled a dark silhouette, and pointed his pistol at what he believed was the head. Paccone, meanwhile, brushed wood splinters off his armor, rushed over to Leo, and kicked away the fallen shotgun.
"Holy shit!" The figure sputtered, "You guys really are Marines!"
"You're damn right." Paccone said triumphantly. He then bent down and added, "And now you will tell use what the hell is going on in here, or I will let Private Carter do whatever the hell he wants with you. And let me tell you, if you thought those zombies out there were bad, then you haven't messed with a Marine yet, because we are twenty times worse than what they can possibly do."
Leo grinned malevolently and cocked his pistol. He felt a perverse feeling of glee as he saw the person's eyes bulge from his head. He was evidently scared shitless of what might happen to him.
"All right! All right! Just don't hurt me!" he cried, defeated.
"I suggest you start talking, then."
"Alright." The man looked around, and said quietly, "but not here. Follow me."
Leo and Paccone looked at each other. Leo merely shrugged, and Paccone motioned for Kumi, Sam, and the other Marines to come on in.