Carlos woke to the heart-pounding sound of the motion sensors going off. He was not the only one to wake- most of the convoy had, and others were waking those that hadn't. He reached to grab his machine gun, waking K-Mart. She sat up, suddenly alert. Both stood, and he started towards the tech van, accepting his right forearm being hugged by his female shadow. Claire fell into stride beside him, breaking down from her jog.
"Mikey- what's out there?" Claire demanded, taking a step into the van, gazing at the screens.
"False alarm. Just a bird" Mikey answered in a worn voice, his Australian accent slurred.
"Animals have become dangerous," Carlos answered, keeping his eyes fixed on the camera screens.
"It would have attacked by now if…what the fuck?" One of the sound systems was picking up odd vibrations, the cameras all fixing towards the motion that caused them. One of the cameras went out with a hiss, causing Carlos to curse, but another camera was suddenly filled with the deformed face of an undead. Now Carlos and Claire jumped back in surprise, while K-Mart let out a squeak, covering her mouth quickly.
"Shit. How many are out there?" Claire barked at Mikey. The ordered man clicked some keys and all the cameras swiveled, scanning the area, one continuing to follow the singular undead. It was creeping along the perimeter, slow and clumsy.
"Looks like that's the only one." Carlos shook his head.
"I'm going to go take a look," he stated, quickly loading his weapon.
"You take the east side, I'll take the west," Claire agreed, unsheathing her twin slugs and striding determinedly in her assigned direction. Carlos turned on his heal to do the same, only to feel the extra weight upon his arm again. He stopped, sighing, and kneeled facing K-Mart.
"You have to stay here, do you understand?" The girl shook her head violently.
"I want to go with you. Give me a gun. I can help."
"You can't go. Stay here, I'll be back." He stood and took a testing stride away. K-Mart followed. He took her shoulder in hand, her shoulder bony beneath his fingers, and shook it firmly. "Stay." He looked at her with commanding eyes and raised brows, and the girl took a step back. Satisfied he had convinced her, he walked away towards his direction, weaving in and out of milling survivors.
He shifted and released the lock on his gun, tense and keenly aware of his surroundings as he reached the camera lines. He stepped past them, clicking on his flashlight and sweeping its beam around him. He heard the distinct firing of Claire's slugs and immediately took off towards the sound, stopping short when a movement to his right caught his attention. An undead was slowly making its way onto the school's dying field crest. Without hesitation, he released a clip into the creature's skull, firing dead on. The undead collapsed, and he surveyed the area again before trotting off to find Claire, who was firing yet again. He could hear the camp mumbling and whispering in anxious tones, but for the most part, the convoy was silent. All had learned by now to stay moderately quiet, as well as the fact that a few shots fired did not necessarily mean that they had to pile into the trucks. Another undead came into his view, and he shot off another clip, using every clip's bullet strong and true. The undead woman crumpled the to ground.
"Carlos? You ok?" Claire's voice crackled over the walkie-talkie.
"Fine. Took out two. What about you?"
"Three. Doesn't seem to be anymore, but let's continue to scout the area for a while. The noise might have drawn attention."
"Right. Over." He paused a moment before clicking back online. "Mikey- any sign of movement on the north end?"
"Not according to the camera sensors, but let's keep a weather eye out. Over."
"I'm on it."
He had scouted the area for about fifteen minutes before another movement caught his eye. He was instantly on his knee, gun aimed, his finger tensed to pull before a familiar squeak sounded from the thing he had trained his gun towards. His heart hammered and he lowered his gun, but he did not voice his curses.
"I thought I told you to stay in the camp."
"But nothing has been out here for a while, and Mikey said he thought it would be ok and…"
"Mikey?" Carlos cursed under his breath now. Oh, Mikey would hear about this when he got back in.
"I begged, it wasn't his fault," the girl quickly covered.
"Wrong," Carlos answered dryly. "Get back in there." He was not normally this short with people, but he did not want the girl in the open any longer than she already had been.
"Please let me stay. You have an extra gun… you could teach me to shoot! I might need to one day!" the girl's voice had gone high and excited now. It's immature, eager tone made him cringe. Anyone with that tone of voice when talking about guns should never be handed one, much less allowed to use it.
"No," he answered firmly. "Now go." The girl stood her ground.
"I've staid alive by hiding, Carlos," the girl said in a serious voice now. "If I'm with the group, there won't be anywhere to hide. I can't protect myself. If I knew how to shoot…" Carlos gazed at her for a moment, sizing her up.
She was a scrawny thing, to be sure, but she had a lean frame. She had a point, and it surely could not hurt beyond the waste of bullets. Sighing, he picked up his walkie-talkie and clicked online again.
"I've got a jam in my 5 caliber. I'll be unloading a few shots," he lied with a strained voice into the radio.
"Over," Claire's voice acknowledged.
Carlos simply looked at the determined girl before him before hanging his head and motioning her forward. K-Mart came forward, her demeanor all business now, as he unsheathed his 5 caliber.
"Alright. Here's your safety lock. You draw it back and release before you can shoot," he instructed, placing his flashlight under his arm and shining it on the gun. "Now, when you aim, let your eyes follow this raised line," he simplified, rather than using the correct terms. "Shoot for the head or neck. Any body part may slow them down, but it won't kill them." He gazed towards the school's mobile buildings lined along the field, looking for a target. "See that shadow on the wall? The round one? Aim for the center, both eyes open. But don't let them cross." The girl raised the gun, her elbows loose. He straightened her arms gently, and raised the gun directly to eye level. "This is your position. Keep it. Ready? Shoot."
A fire rang out, and the girl flinched, allowing the gun to jerk up. She dropped her arms, and he took supported her hands as her arms shook. He chuckled, remembered how shocking the first time he had shot a gun was. It was a nerve-racking experience as it pushed you backwards.
"Not too far off the mark. Try again." He raised her arms again, setting the gun back at her eye level. Another shot rang out, and this time, K-Mart braced herself, holding the gun steady. Carlos stared at the shadow in surprise, shining his flashlight towards the target area, his brows raised. It was a dead-on hit.
"Maybe you could be helpful," he said, watching K-Mart's face split in a grin.
"Do I get a gun?"
"Don't get too cocky," he answered, picking out his radio as Claire's voice hissed onto the monitor.
"We're clear. If they were near enough to make it here, the bastards would be here already. Bring it in."
"Over," Carlos answered, and smiled at K-Mart. "I think I'll take that," he said as she handed back the gun. "Lets get back in and catch a few hours sleep."