Clayton was back on the wall now, this time he wasn't looking out onto the bridge, he was looking backwards towards the city, at the other walls that had been erected encase the first section was compromised. There were three gates between the wastelands and the city. No even imagined that the zombies could get through the first gate any way so most people saw the three layered system as pointless. Clayton then shifted his gaze over to the vast stretch of water that separated New York Island from the rest of America.
"What's up kid?" Rico asked, this time the pair were on the wall together whenever there wasn't a game on there would be two people on the wall.
"Nothing just wondering at how this all started I suppose, and I'm not a kid" Clayton replied emphasising the last few words.
Rico laughed, "Sure, any way no point thinking, live for the now that's my motto"
Clayton looked at the soldier and smiled.
"Yeah? Whatever"
Clayton moved to stand next to the soldier.
"Fancy a cigarette?" Rico asked pulling a packet from his top pocket.
"Might as well, better to die of lung cancer than get ripped apart by one of those things" Clayton replied.
Rico handed over a cigarette then held out his lighter for Clayton, Clayton took it and lit up then handed the lighter back.
Clayton took in a drag, trying to hide his urge to cough as he did so. He really respected Rico and was in some ways scared of letting himself appear weak around the man.
"Ever smoke one of those before?" Rico asked with a raised eyebrow.
Clayton frowned and nodded. Then coughed
Rico laughed as Clayton continued into a coughing fit.
"It's okay just make sure you don't kill yourself trying to impress me," Rico said.
Clayton looked at Rico and frowned, Clayton was a teenager and still liked to pretend that he didn't need anything or any one.
Rico turned back to the bridge and gazed out into the night and the wastelands.
"What's that over there?" Rico said.
"What?" Clayton asked peering into the darkness.
"There
in the distance, there's movement." Rico pointed.
In the
distant the pair could what appeared to be a giant wave of movement,
then into the field of vision in the darkness ran masses of corpses
all roaring and ready to feast.
"FUCK ME!" Rico cried, "Activate the lights Clayton, I'll sound the alarm" he order practically sprinting for the alarm.
Clayton ran the length of the wall and hit the switch that activated the floodlights that were pointing out from the wall and illuminated the charge of the Horde. With the lights on Clayton's mouth dropped at the sheer amount of zombies that were now attacking the wall, there must have been thousands.
The alarm then hit the bridge a deafening siren howled out across the bridge. You could hear the sound of the alarm from the other side of the city when it was activated.
Clayton flinched from the sudden blast of sound, but he quickly heard the response of soldiers rushing to defend the wall.
Clayton turned to the face the horde and took the weapon of his shoulders. He instantly cocked it and aimed down at the Horde. He squeezed the trigger and locked his shoulder as the gun spurted out bullets into their ranks.
As the first of the Horde slammed against the wall it began to shake violently, and Clayton had to stop and steady himself against one of the railings as more and more undead slammed against the wall.
The wall itself had not been tested to the scale it was now and Clayton didn't think it was going to hold.
He however still fired into the ranks as soldiers and militia members gathered on the wall to try and repel the attack. Guns rattled left and right to Clayton as his own gun halted and he needed to reload. He ejected the empty magazine and reached down to his belt for another one.
Then the wall took huge knock, someone had thrown a grenade quite close to the wall, it shock and Clayton lost his footing and fell to the ground he also lost the grip of his gun and it fell over the edge into the zombies. Clayton stared down in disbelief there were so many he'd not seen a group that big ever.
Clayton felt a hand grab him round the shoulder and he was hauled up of the ground, he looked up and saw Rico, his face completely dead pan. He didn't look scared at all.
"Drop your gun?" He shouted over the gunfire.
Clayton nodded in reply.
Rico then pushed him towards the stairs, "Get off the wall then, it ain't gonna hold"
Clayton moved across the wall as best he could trying not to slip again. The wall took another big knock and swayed this time a man to the left of Clayton fell and lost his footing. However he was not as fortunate as Clayton he fell through the bottom of the railings and fell to his death among the Horde.
Clayton reached the stairs and moved down them and vaulted the last few steps to the ground.
"MOVE YOUR ASS PRIVATE" and officer shouted as he ran past him trying to get up the wall.
Clayton moved backwards looking at the wall. It was swaying so much it was obvious that it wasn't going to hold much longer. His hands moved down to his waist and his clutched the Colt.45 his father had given him.
There was a large creak from the wall now as it strained under the pressure. There was an explosion of another grenade. A sound that almost signified the collapse of the wall, the very second after the wall came crashing down backwards with cries from the men on top and the cries of the metal bending.
"RICO!" Clayton shouted.
The hordes of undead came rushing over the rumble of the wall grabbing at the first people that they could see and launching into a frenzied feasting.
"Come on kid run!" a soldier shouted as he ran past, grabbing his shoulder and forcing him in the direction of the next gate and wall.
Clayton ran along with the soldier glancing over his shoulder occasionally to see the odd soldier firing at the zombies, they didn't last long though.
On the second defensive wall there were large machine guns, M2's apparently something about them being 50 caliber, it was better-defended wall and would probably be able to hold
As they ran thought, Clayton saw the gates were beginning to close they were about to be trapped outside the city.
As he reached up to the wall the gates slammed shut. He and a few other militia members were trapped. The guns went into action above their heads the other men raised there guns and fired at the oncoming horde as if they thought that the could be saved.
Clayton had other ideas he knew that they were dead and would soon join the walking dead.
He sprinted to the side of the bridge and over looked the water below; the drop would surely kill him but he had no choice really. He glanced over his shoulder and saw the other men being torn apart. He raised the gun and fired a shot at an approaching undead, the shot piercing it's chest and making it fall to the ground. Another shot and another fell. But then there were two zombies on him and he was knocked backwards of the bridge and he fell, down the cold water. He considered it the last moments of his life as he heard the cries of men and the rattle of guns...after all there were worse ways to go than falling into water.