And we're back!
Thanks to: Savior M. Ascend, Mortal Guardian, no body, Otrizi, hopeless-romantic-nr-one, Chaos Blade, Delta Operator, Longsworder, Cold-Chaos, K-R-4-E-V-A, bahamut9999, surfrost, YamiDymlos, Jokerisdaking, swiglo3000, Burpadski, Aelis Aisling, Tangora, Zero-Nightmare, Godhand's Number, Cold-Chaos, IncrediRaider8, Dark00 and DshizNit for the reviews.
Death, destruction, and complete mayhem to follow
Chapter 9
Knight in shining armor, Armed to the Teeth
Kim slowly approached her friends, wary of their unusual shuffling and moaning.
"Liz, Hope, Marcela? Are you ok?"
"UUuuuunnggggg"
Hesitantly she moved closer.
Something's not right, they seem…possessed
The sound of a squeaking door to Kim's right distracted her from her friends as she faced the sound.
Tara emerged from the girl's locker room area looking towards the group.
"HOPE!" She squealed as she started running towards her friend.
"Tara no! There's something wrong with them!"
Kim put her arm up but Tara ran right past her and into Hope, enveloping her in a bear hug.
"I knew you'd be safe and that you'd return"
Tara was on the verge of tears, while Kim and the others were still unsure of their return, their worries were soon justified as Tara let out a scream.
On instinct Kim darted towards her, grabbing Tara's arm and pulling her away from Hope, who was apparently trying to bite Tara.
She shoved Hope back, watching as she just seemed to fall on her back.
Kim pulled Tara away from the other three as Tara started protesting.
"I can't believe it! She bit me! She actually bit me!"
Kim examined Tara's shoulder, which indeed had some bite marks that broke the skin, but what really got to her was that some of the skin in that area was missing.
"She bit you?" Monique asked
"What is her problem?" Bonnie instigated.
Tara tried to get to Hope to find out what she was doing when Kim held her back.
"Tara, they aren't themselves, let's try to stay away from -Ghaaa!"
Kim was grabbed from behind by Brick, who was trying to sink his teeth into her neck.
She spun around as she struggled with Brick, looking the Football player over.
Kim was shocked when she looked at his eyes, they were once bright eyes that were now clouded over and spoke only one thing…..Food.
"Get off of my Girlfriend!" Screamed Ron as he lunged at Brick, his left fist connecting with the side of Bricks face, sending him spinning to the ground.
"KP, you alright?"
Kim was shaking, the look in Bricks eyes, and the way they all acted as if they were…..
Zombies
"I-I'm ok Ron, what's that on your glove?"
Ron looked over at his left glove at the grayish matter stuck to it, which they soon realized was a good chunk of Bricks skin.
"Oh man, that is Wrong-Sick!" He said as he flipped the material off his glove.
"Eewww, that's disgusting!" Bonnie said from her spot.
By now Hope and Brick were back on their feet and shuffling towards them again.
"Mr. Barkin, keep everyone back, we'll handle this" Kim called as she looked at Ron.
"Man, this is so wrong" Ron muttered as he dropped into a fighting stance.
"It's worse than that Ron, it's sick and wrong" Kim added as she also went into a fighting stance.
The group of four descended on the two, who were not ready to fight their friends, even though they weren't their friends anymore.
Vin wandered through the gun store with another two duffle bags that were in U13. He was surprised that the unit he picked happened to be the one best equipped for his needs.
He ditched his Umbrella work uniform and donned his civilian attire, which were loads more comfortable than his uniform ever was. Black jeans, black sneakers, and a dark blue T-shirt from when he was stationed in Key West. On the shirt was a skull and crossbones, and on the back was the saying which was ironic given his current situation.
"Pillaging, Drinking, Flogging, Wrenching: Just Another Day in Paradise"
On top of that he found a combat utility belt, with roughly 10 pouches for hand gun magazines and two larger pouches for larger shells. And the last bit of his visual enhancement was wearing his old 'Special Ops' Jacket.
"Oh yeah, locked, cocked and ready to rock" he said smiling.
One bag was designated for strictly ammo, which was already being filled with boxes upon boxes of 5.56 rounds and shotgun shells, not to mention the 4 boxes of 9mm ammo he threw in there to cover the backup weapons. Vin was also lucky to find grenade rounds for the launcher attachment on his AR-15, of which he loaded all twenty.
"Vin, you there?"
"Of course I'm here Wade, where the hell would I be?"
"Sorry, how's it coming?"
"Slow but I'm almost done, a duffle bag full of ammo should be enough between the three of us"
"Um, about that"
Vin stopped what he was doing,
"There are other survivors with Kim and Ron, not to mention that the rescue team is still heading there"
"How many Wade?" Vin asked, clearly agitated by this latest turn of events
"All together, eight"
"You have got to be kidding me Wade; I've got to take care of eight people now! Are you insane! Might as well grab some spray paint and add Meat Wagon to the side of the damned Suburban!"
"Not to mention the rescue squad-"
"Jesus Christ Wade, you want me to hijack a fucking bus? That way we'll be sure to get everyone out of the damned city!" Vin lay in heavily with sarcasm with his last sentence driving his point home.
"Look, don't blame me. I'm just the messenger here, and if I know Kim then that is exactly what she'd want you to do"
"Fat FUCKING chance Wade, I'll go along with you on this one since I really don't have a choice. But after I get those eight in the truck, that's it. Neither you or little miss 'I can do Anything' are making me try and save anyone else."
"Isn't that a little harsh?"
"Tough shit, life's harsh. You can never get what you want all the time, now if you don't mind I have some more guns to pick up"
Vin heard the line click off as he started towards the handgun case. Peering in he marveled at the beautiful site before him, 357s, 44s, 45s and 50 caliber hand guns, all waiting to be picked. That's when he spotted the two guns calling his name.
He headed over to that part of the case, marveling over what would become his new sidearms, replacing the current Glocks.
"Ooo Shiney"
They were Springfield Armory Black Stainless Colt .45s, carrying 8 rounds a piece. The would be heavy, but for the sheer destruction they cause it was worth it. Vin smashed the case with the handle of the glock and hefted the two .45s into his hands.
"Yeah, these scream me"
Vin slid the hand cannons into his chest holsters like they were made for them. Vin then grabbed some magazines for the guns and tossed them into one of the duffle bags, along with boxes of ammo. He also grabbed from the case a .50 Desert Eagle, a .44 Magnum Smith and Wesson revolver, a .50 Magnum S&W Revolver, and numerous .357 revolvers. Each placed into the bag with plenty of ammo for each.
Just as he was about to leave something caught Vin's eye, it was the vintage section.
A entire section of the shop was set up for WWII weapons, including M1's, M1 Carbines, two Thompson SMGs, and the one that was calling Vin's name….
The Springfield Sniper Rifle.
A bolt action rifle, it carried only 5 30-06 (pronounced thirty-odd-six) rounds, but if you're good you wouldn't need 5.
Vin immediately grabbed the rifle, and proceeded to load 5 30-06 rounds into it, tossing the box of ammo with another into the bag. He then added the two Thompson's to the bag, with 5 other magazines.
"Now we are ready to roll"
Vin hefted the two very heavy duffle bags out to the Suburban and tossed them in the back with the other bag. He never really though about how they would go about handing out the weapons and ammo, but he'd cross that bridge when he got to it. For now he was content with 16 shots between his new .45s, 5 in the shotgun, 30 in the AR-15, and 18 a piece for both Glocks which were sitting on the driver's seat.
The city was already dark out by now, and the streets had roaming packs of zombies that shambled between the abandoned cars. Watching the scene as he climbed into the driver's seat, Vin was happy of the fact that U13 was also the only Suburban in Umbrella's fleet that was equipped with the Brushgaurd, this allowed Vin to basically shove things out of the way with out having the airbag or the fuel cutoff to activate and leave him stuck out in the open.
"Wade, I'm all done in the store. I should be at the school in five minutes"
Vin started the truck up, noticing the Navigation screen in the dash came on with a picture of a African American boy.
"Wade?"
"Vin, you've got to hurry! There are creatures closing in on their location!"
"Shiiit"
Vin slammed the truck into drive and planted his foot to the floor. Smoke poured from the back tires as he accelerated towards the school, praying he got there in time.
Kim and Ron were exhausted, they were fighting two fights, One against their friends, and the other in their head that kept telling them that these were their friends, regardless it was still a no win situation for them.
Every hard hit, every bone crunching blow didn't have any effect on these creatures that took hold of their friends, and it was starting to make them sick to their stomachs. They'd wince after hearing their bones break, and then cover their mouths as they try not to puke at the sight of them coming after them with a broken wrist just dangling there.
"I can't take much more of this Kim" Ron gasped, he was turning a sickly color green from fighting his instincts to hurl.
Kim wasn't too far behind Ron's current predicament as she landed a sickly sounding uppercut to Hope which cracked her jaw and sent her to the ground again.
"Regroup Ron!"
Together the two of them pulled back towards the rest of the surviving student body, watching their foes every shambling move.
"We have to find a way out of here, we can't keep this up"
"The back door, we could wait in the football field." Mr. Barkin said.
"You sure about that Mr. B?" Ron asked, still trying to gather his composure.
"Affirmative, we'll have a wide open area and lots of room to maneuver" Mr. Barkin said as he gave the shambling figures a deadly scowl.
"Better than staying here, that's for sure" Ron gasped.
Just then the doors to the gym flew off their hinges, and the room was filled with a high-pitched blood curling shriek. The creature jumped into the center of the gym allowing the group a good look at it. They all recognized the skinless monstrosity from the news brief, the one that twisted the reporters head off with its long tongue, which it was now lashing about wildly.
"RUN!"
Everyone started a mad panicked dash towards the back doors as the creature seemed to start galloping at them, lashing its tongue at them. It managed to wrap it around Tara's ankle which caused her to fall to the ground.
"KIM, RON!" She screamed frantically as the creature descended upon her.
Kim and Ron pivoted on their feet and headed towards the Blonde's aid, grabbing her arms as the deadly game of tug of war started. They managed to wrestle Tara from the creatures tongue, but it left its mark on Tara as its tongue cut deep into her ankle, drawing blood.
"GET TO THE FIELD!" Kim cried as she and Ron helped Tara out the back door, slamming it shut behind them.
The others were already on the field when they came up to them, still holding on to Tara.
"Somehow I get the feeling that this isn't that much better than being in the gym" Ron pondered aloud.
The back doors burst out as the creature broke through; it was now slowly advancing towards the group that positioned themselves in the middle of the field.
Kim and Ron let go of Tara as Monique and Josh took hold of her and went into defensive positions between the group and the creature.
They knew it would be a futile attempt, but it was better than the alternative.
"Kim, in case we don't make it through this… there's something you should know"
Before Kim could answer the creature let out a high pitched shriek that deafened them as it closed the distance.
Vin pulled the Suburban to a stop in front of the High Schools main entrance; he grabbed one of the glocks and cocked the slide back. Just as he reached for the door handle Wade appeared on the Nav. Screen again.
"Slight change of Plans Vin!"
"Make it fast Wade"
"They aren't in the gym, they are in the back football field, and several creatures are closing in on them. Hurry!"
With his free right hand Vin slammed the gearshift lever into D and planted his foot to the floor. Still holding the gun he drove over the curb and onto the soft grass towards the back football field.
Wade had already left the screen, but something happened when he pulled out. Somehow Wade managed to activate the trucks radio and music soon escaped the trucks speakers as Vin accelerated across the lawn.
I'm a Cowboy
On a steel horse I ride
I'm Wanted, Dead or Alive
Wanted…Dead or Alive
"What the hell is it with music fitting with a scenario perfectly all of a sudden?"
I walk these streets
A loaded Six-string on my back
I play for keeps
Cause I might not make it back
The truck crested a small hill, in the distance Vin could make out the field and the figures in the center. His foot pushed the pedal to the floor.
And I'm a Cowboy
I got the Knight on my side
And I'm Wanted, Dead or Alive
And I ride…..Dead or Alive
I still Jive…Dead or Alive
DEAD OR ALIVE…
Kim waited for the Creature to make its move, but then she heard a sound she never expected and a sound she absolutely loved…..The sound of an approaching vehicle.
"Kim Look!" Ron cried, pointing over the crest that led to the school.
She looked, and saw a full size truck bearing down on the field. It flew over a small hill as it smashed into the fence surrounding the field, showering the area around and under the truck with sparks as bounced onto the field still accelerating towards them.
Kim saw the driver's side widow was down on the large vehicle, and the driver was pointing something in their general direction.
It didn't take her long to notice that it was a gun.
Vin accelerated towards the group when he spotted the creature advancing on them,
"Licker" he muttered as he raised his left had out the window, training it on the licker which was dangerously close to the group.
"One good chance and 17 rounds. Better make them count"
He started pulling the trigger on the glock with rapid succession, sending a wall of lead at the creature.
Kim watched as the drive started firing the gun, she was trying to keep count but he was doing it so fast. She could have sworn it was something like 18 shots, but she wasn't sure.
What she was sure of was the sight of the rounds finding their mark on the creature, every single one of them. It was playing in slow motion for Kim as she could practically see the rounds enter its exposed brain and muscles, blood started to pour out of its wounds as it flipped onto its back and writhed in pain.
The truck nosedived and started to slide towards the group, coming to a rest a good five feet from Kim with the driver's side facing them.
The driver tossed his empty gun into the seat next to his and casually laid his arm out the open window, he stuck his head out shortly after that.
"Miss Possible I presume?"
"Uh, yeah."
The driver smiled, it reassured her a little bit.
"Name's Pellegrino, Vin Pellegrino. Wade contacted me, I'm your rescue" Vin said smiling.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Until Vin's gaze went onto Tara.
"What happened to her?" His tone was now cold, and it frightened Kim just a bit.
"She was bitten by one of our friends"
Vin's face became concerned, "How long ago?"
"About 5 minutes I think"
"Good, then there is still time. I suggest you guys load up"
"Wait, what do you mean? What about this whole mess?"
"I'll explain once we are on the move, but we have to go Now. Unless you want another one of those to come at us" Vin motioned to the lifeless body of the licker.
Hesitantly Kim started to help everyone get in; Felix was able to get into the third row seat with Josh and Bonnie after he loaded his wheelchair into the back of the truck. Kim, Ron, Monique and Tara had the second row, and Mr. Barkin took shotgun.
Everyone eyed the shotgun lying on the dashboard as well as the AR-15 wedged between the front seat, this made Kim wonder what was in those duffle bags in the back.
"Before we get going, I think some introductions are in order. Don't you think Kim?" Vin asked.
Something about his tone bothered Kim, but for now she set it aside.
"Yeah, this is Monique, Ron, Tara, Felix, Josh and Bonnie. Mr. Barkin is up front with you"
"Ugh, why am I last?" Bonnie pried.
"Now isn't the time Bonnie!"
"Whatever Kim, I still think this is your doing"
"What are we three?" Ron jumped in.
Soon the back of the truck was an ongoing argument; Vin tightly gripped the steering wheel while Mr. Barkin just shook his head.
"I'll never understand teenagers"
"Got that right" Vin said before he turned back to the bickering truck.
"ENOUGH, God dammit! Just let it go" Vin said with authority.
The truck was silent, mostly due to the shock that someone was addressing all of them with a swear, which for some reason they weren't used to.
Vin turned back to Mr. Barkin.
"Mr. Barkin, you have a first name?"
"Steve, Steve Barkin"
Vin smiled as he reached for the other Glock, making everyone nervous at the sight of a gun.
"Well Steve," Vin cocked the slide back before he held the gun, butt out towards Steve.
"You know how to use one of these?"
Steve looked nervously at the gun that was being offered him.
"Affirmative, I served in the Nam in 69"
"Good, nice to have someone who knows his way around a gun"
Steve took the gun in his grasp, his eyes not coming off it.
"What am I going to use this on?"
"Duh Steve, the creatures. If they get too close, or threaten us in anyway I want you to put a few rounds in it"
Vin started the truck while Steve kept staring at the gun. He hit the button for automatic 4WD since they were on damp grass, and carrying a payload.
"Is that all?"
"No, one more thing Steve and this is very important"
Steve sighed, closing his eyes.
"What?"
"Aim for the head, it'll take less rounds and drop them faster"
Kim watched as Vin and Mr. Barkin's conversation ended as Vin started driving towards the exit gate back towards the road.
She wasn't sure of it, but she didn't really trust this Vin, and she was almost positive that Ron felt the same way with the way he was looking at him.
Well, we'll just have to deal with it for now. This nightmare is finally over.
But the night was just beginning, and it was going to be a long night.
And another one that doesn't really leave you hanging, well not as bad as previous chapters anyway.
Thanks to all you readers for pushing this to over 1500 hits, and the twelve who have this on their Fav. List.
Now the real torture begins, waiting a whole week for another chapter!
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