Chapter 35: The Lighthouse
"Christ, that was too close," Bill sighed from the front of the car, looking back to where the crowd of Infected had disappeared around a bend in the road. "If that's what the army was up against here, they never had a chance."
"Yeah, well neither do we, unless we get far away from here," Francis remarked, keeping his eyes on the dark road ahead as he drove. "I say we keep driving and put as much distance between us and them as possible."
"Are you crazy, Francis?" Louis exclaimed from the backseat. "Those people in the boat are gonna come rescue us! We've gotta take it, man!"
There was a tense silence, through which only the roar of the engine could be heard. The biker was overworking it to the maximum. The sheer size of the huge horde had spooked him, and he wanted to get as far away as possible.
"The lighthouse is a couple more kilometres up the road," Bill finally said. "It'll take the Infected some time to reach us. We can use that time to set up a defensive perimeter."
Francis groaned. "I don't like where this is going…"
The car skidded along the dark dirt road, flanked by withered trees. The road soon came up to chain-link fence, which Francis was about to drive through until Bill stopped him.
"Wait! Before you go ploughin' through that fence, think about it! It'll be useful to leave it intact to protect the area."
Following his advice, the biker slowed the car to a stop and got out, leaving the engine still running and the headlights still on. The others followed his lead and ran up to the fence. The howls of the Infected could be heard in the distance.
"Help me over," Zoey said tersely, and was promptly given a boost over the fence by Bill and Louis.
The others quickly climbed over to re-join her on the other side, and then they were running up the dirt road into the remote area. As they ran, the bloodthirsty screams gradually grew louder and closer.
"They're closing in," Louis panted.
"We've got a fight on our hands," Bill replied solemnly, his steely eyes ahead.
As they ran up the trail, a dark structure in a clearing gradually came into view through the trees. It was a remote cliff-top lighthouse. The main tower itself was a fat structure, roughly two storeys tall, with the dark lamp perched on top. A squat house sat at the bottom of the tower. It was too dark to see the water beyond, but Zoey could hear the waves crashing against the rocks far below.
"Get to the lighthouse!" Bill barked. "We've gotta get that light turned on!"
"Aye' captain!" Francis called sarcastically.
They barrelled through the door of the house into a small, dark living room, with boarded-up windows and destroyed furniture. Bill made for the doorway leading to the base of the tower.
"Secure the house," he ordered. "There's no time for the buddy system. Stay sharp and don't get jumped." With that, he entered the doorway into a dark stairwell and ran up the winding metal staircase. "Goddamn horseshit stairs... Why am I always climbing the damn stairs...?"
Below him, the others spread out through the house, guns up and lights on. Fortunately, a thorough sweep of the house revealed that there were no Infected lurking inside.
Above them, Bill reached the top of the lighthouse and fumbled with the switches in a mad attempt to activate the light. He had no idea about lighthouses, and so he pressed every button and flicked every switch he came across. Finally, with a blinding flash, the light came on, turning about in a full circle.
"Jesus!" he cried, shielding his eyes against the blinding light.
After taking a moment to blink the spots in his vision away, he noticed that a green and a red light had started blinking together in unison in the black water far below. The lights were slowly moving in toward the shore.
That must be the Saint Lidia II, he thought in satisfaction. But how are we going to get down to them?
Bill lifted his sniper rifle to his shoulder and peered through the scope, surveying the cliff-top below him. He had to stay calm and find a way out of this mess. If he didn't, they were all dead. Suddenly, he saw it: a trail leading down the cliff toward the water. Perhaps it led down to a private dock for the lighthouse. Either way, it would have to do. He took one last look at the blinking lights of the boat coming in toward the shore, and then made his way back downstairs.
"Everyone alright?" he called out. He was relieved to find everyone huddled in the living room, checking their guns and pooling their remaining three Molotovs.
"We're fine," Louis replied. "Did you get the light working?"
Bill nodded. "I saw lights from the Saint Lidia II. Judging from its speed, I'd say it'll be pulling up to shore in about ten or fifteen minutes."
"Damn it," Francis snarled. "Can't we get off this cliff any faster?"
"Not unless you want to swim, son." The ex-military man lifted his sniper rifle. "None of you have experience handling one of these, so I'm going up top to the tower to pick them off from there." He motioned around the room. "You three need to defend the house and make sure they don't get in."
Zoey motioned to a couple of propane tanks lying near the door. "We found those lying at the bottom of the stairs. I figured they'd be useful."
He smiled grimly. "Very resourceful of you. Set them up outside in front of the house. Once the boat arrives, I'll come down, and then we'll leave through that window." He pointed across the room at a boarded-up opening on the river-facing side of the living room. "For god's sake, keep it clear."
Wasting no more time, he turned and disappeared back up the stairs, while Francis barricaded the door with all the furniture he could find. Louis and Zoey ran up to the front windows of the house and slid the muzzles of their rifles through the cracks between the covering planks.
They waited for a few more minutes in tense silence. The roars and howls that filled the air steadily grew louder, and the rattle of the chain-link fence could be heard in the distance as bodies climbed over it. The horde had arrived.
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Mm-hmm, we all know how The Last Stand ends in the game. How is it going to end for this story? Stay tuned for the finale. Until next time.