Chapter 2

Spike slowly made his way along the bridge, hoping beyond all hope that he could avoid contact with the humans for as long as he could so he could get a sneak attack in and maybe kill the big guy to demoralize the group. He could see as he got closer, that this was no normal man. He exhumed this aura of respect, power and calm at the same time. To look at him was to fall in awe of just how charismatic is appeared to be. Spike had lost all sense of judgement of humans a while ago now, before he had turned even.

He was 6'2", about two hundred pounds of lean, toned and taut muscle. He had handsome and chiselled features and a set of blue eyes that belied a deeper man with a conscious and led Spike to believe that he had been through a lot in his life. He could read people when he was human and now was no different. His armour was thick and heavy, his arms bare with a simple pair of leather gloves, black combats, knee pads and his equipment. He looked tough but Spike had killed bigger men than him.

Sunny skipped gracefully along the top of the bridge that separated the two towns of Paradise Hovel and Cinder. He never knew why it was called Cinder but didn't care either. Hovel was a shit hole, run by cartels and drug dealers, Cinder was bullied by the mega corporations who bought out the police and the armed forces.

He deftly rolled to a crouch behind one of the support beams, well hidden as Spike saw him muffle a cough, Smokers were not used to stealth as their new bodies made them hack and cough almost constantly but Sunny had managed to counteract this. He peered around his hiding place and waited for Spike to strike.

He was hiding behind somehow, a large truck. The truck if struck right would incapacitate all of them with a well timed and place smash. He could see the leader ready a large weapon with cylindrical ammo feed, and place some big shells into it. Another leader by what Spike could see stood forward, she was female. Tall, stunning and beautiful with hardened yet delicate features with deep grey ash like eyes she seemed to be with the other man by the way they talked to each other.

Spike grunted, and one of the others turned his way, his natural tank instinct would normally have him shot up by now, the normal "lesser tanks" as he put it would have charged and hurled the car by now.

"Gonna check that noise out boss!" he whispered "I don't like that sound...sounds like a damn tank..." the group moved closer together. Just like Spike wanted and walked slowly towards him with their weapons raised.

There was a screech as a female hunter slammed down into the lead man of the small now six man team and Spike could hear his neck and spine shatter as she slammed down from what must have been a massive height as he was killed instantly as she then leaped onto the next in a swift violent dance of death striking out at one of the others, severing his fingers, blood spraying across the asphalt and his face as he gripped the mangled hand and screamed in agony.

The female stepped forward with her blades drawn, and swung at the female hunter, taking a chunk out of her dank white hoodie, it staining a crimson red as Spike saw the tongue of Sunny spit out from him and latch onto one of the other survivors neck, twisting violently and rupturing his windpipe, his eyes rolling back in his head almost instantly. Almost instantly his tongue was released and Sunny had vanished, a simple cloud of smoke all that was left of where he could have been.

There was five left now. Spike knew he had to make an entrance and help out his infected friend, he knew her and she meant a lot to Sunny. And that meant she meant a lot to him.

Heaving the pick-up truck over his head he tossed it straight at the female leader. She somehow dived right out of the way at the last second, along with the female hunter speeding off at a sprint and diving off to recover.

Spike was left gunning it solo. The truck crashed into the other side of the bridge, dust and debris spattered everywhere as a cloud of cracked cement slowly spread across the scene. The rain continued to fall on the earth, with the massive form of Spike dwarfing the smaller humans, they looked tense but not scared. Maybe it was something they got drilled into them by their leader. Spike knew that's what he would do.

Lightning sparked across the sky and shattered into the earth two hundred feet away. The signal for Spike to charge forward, as it illuminated his hardened face.

As soon as he did, the leader fired his weapon, a "plumph" sound followed by a rocking explosion which caught Spike straight in the chest, sending a searing pain down his torso. Staggering back, he lashed out for the nearest of the humans, grabbing him by the waist, gripped him tightly and brought him into the air and slammed him down back again. His legs buckled and broke against the asphalt as he screamed in agony, he slammed him down again and his legs simply turned to mush. Spike was much stronger than a normal tank.

He grappled the mans neck with his other hand, and with a delicate twist snapped his head off his shoulders as it erupted into a crimson fountain. Dropping him to the floor like a rag doll, slumping into a bloody heap, he felt another two blast score hits in his spine. He had somehow been flanked by the guy with the strange weapon and the others had retreated to a safe distance. They opened fire on him as their weapons bit into his skin, leaving pin pricks of red that then showered empty brass on the ground as they proved useless.

He saw one be sneak attacked by Sunny, another trademark neck snap, which killed him instantly. There were now three of them, one shaky and the others stood solid ready to fight to the death. He was worried about the wounds to his back and chest, they bled profusely and he couldn't take the strange feeling of dread as something began eating as his skin.

"Fall back!" he shouted as the woman tossed a cylindrical object on the ground. Seconds later it exploded in a searing white flash and a deafening report. Spike stumbled backwards as another three rounds smashed against his hide and tore at his skin again. He was blind and could only just make out their footsteps heading away. An engine.. then a voice..

He got his vision back a few moments later but they were long gone.

Spike collapsed to one knee as he saw Sunny drop to the ground next to him, his face showing worry. Spike's wounds were grave, the skin was melting and corroding away as he spoke, red flesh and exposed muscle stang as the rain mixed with blood and his insides. His back was a veritable Swiss cheese field, many many holes full of red gashes and blood seeping from the injuries. He was breathing heavy and the sting of the worried him.

Spike felt a searing pain wash over him as Sunny stamped ahead to him, the rain coming down in sheets as he slowly crouched down next to him.

"Son!" he exclaimed "Son you OK?!"

"Mrrgmmnnn..." Spike grunted as he felt his face hit the concrete, the world fading to a dull white haze.