Chapter 53: The Sky Bridge
4 HOURS UNTIL FAILSAFE
The sky above Metro International Airport was stained a blood red and was choked with thick, dark smoke. Zoey found the view to be extremely ominous as she and her team made their way through the substation, surrounded by the dark outlines of power equipment, and to the streets on the other side.
She held her pistol down by her side, the metal cold in her hands. She did her best not to crane her neck instinctively, as such an action would rudely remind of her of the rather painful wound at the base of her neck. Francis brandished his Beretta, being low on ammunition for his submachine gun.
The nightmarish journey through Newburg had taken its toll on all of them, but now they were hopefully out of this hell. All they had to do was clear a path to the runway and link up with Captain Williams and his soldiers. Unfortunately, the further they made their way through the streets toward the airport, the scene did not spell a good fate for the defenders.
Zoey led the way forward into a familiar street , at the end of which she could see the outline of the main terminal of the airport. As she made her way forward, she came across a steadily increasing amount of grisly and broken remains of soldiers. Sandbags and M2 machine-gun emplacements stood forgotten at various positions in the street.
"Fuck me," Francis breathed. "All this firepower and the army still got swarmed? Bunch of useless dicks."
"You know, I've just about had enough of your insults toward the armed forces," the Vietnam War veteran shot over his shoulder in a dangerous tone, their argument from before still in the back of his mind. "They're riskin' their necks to get people out and save ingrates like you."
The biker simply frowned, choosing not to retaliate to the scolding or worthless patriotism.
The team came across an increasing number of Infected the closer they came to their destination, the fallen humans obviously drawn in toward the standoff. The tang of gunpowder and blood hung in the air.
As a headshot from Francis' Beretta rang, a nearby group of ten snarling Common Infected, startled by the noise, ran at him, only to be cut down by a withering burst from Bill's M4 carbine and Louis' Glock. The group crouched down by an overturned car and waited tensely for retaliation, but none of the menacing figures further up the road appeared to have taken notice of the commotion.
"This just ain't gonna work," Bill muttered angrily. They were so close, but if they continued as they were doing, the Infected would surely overwhelm and kill them. "We need a new plan. Any ideas?"
Zoey racked her brains, trying to remember everything she could about the airport when she was younger. "There's a car-park on the left side of this street. On the top level is a sky-bridge we could use to get into the airport from there."
"Good thinking," he nodded in approval. "Let's go."
With that, the four survivors slowly made their way down the ruined street with renewed purpose. They stepped carefully past mangled cars, corpses and army barricades, staying close to the low-rise buildings on the left side of the road. The closer they came to the airport, the more the air seemed to be choked with thick smoke. The heavy pit in Zoey's stomach grew larger the more they went on. She did not have a good feeling about this.
Presently, she came across the concrete facade of the building which she remembered to be the multistorey car-park. "Guys! Through here!" she whispered.
The young woman led the way up the ramp to the second level, past the shadowy forms of cars, the darkness growing deeper and more absolute the further they made their way into the structure. She was almost sad to leave behind the fiery orange twilight of the desolate streets. She slowly put one foot in front of the other, and was swallowed up by the darkness.
The four survivors walked forward, their shallow breaths the only sounds to be heard. Bill brought up the rear, urging them silently onward. They were so damn close to salvation, and he refused to let anything stop them now.
Needless to say, he was stunned when Francis suddenly whirled and turned his gun on him. Had he lost his goddamn mind? "What the hell – "
"GET DOWN!" the biker roared, his tone leaving no room for argument.
The war veteran complied and hit the deck, feeling the cement skin his palms. The gunshots above his head were deafening. Looking over his shoulder, his eyes widened as he saw a Hunter in mid-flight come crashing down as bullets from Francis' pistol slammed into its body.
Needless to say, everyone was shaken by the encounter. Horrible snarls echoed off the concrete and muzzle-flashes lit up the area as several dark figures ran at them from shadowy corners of the room. Gunpowder, sweat and blood filled the air, but the engagement was over quickly.
Bill reloaded his rifle and as sweat beaded down his brow. They were close to rescue, but that only meant that things were going to get harder. He noticed Zoey bending over slightly, a hand over her chest and breathing heavily. "You alright, kid?"
It took a few moments for her to answer. "Yeah, just feeling a bit light-headed... and short of breath."
"Don't forget that Smoker almost killed you not so long ago. And you still have a concussion." He slung the M4 over his shoulder, came over to the girl's side and put one of her arms around his shoulder as he helped her to her feet. Louis and Francis took their places at their sides, covering them with their respective Glock and Beretta.
Zoey, helped along with Bill's support, hobbled toward the next ramp and they made their way up to the top.
They stopped when they came across another darkened room, this one much larger.
"You've gotta be shittin' me," the old man muttered.
"Someone give me a gun," Francis whispered. He holstered his pistol as Bill un-slung his assault rifle with one arm and handed it over to him.
"Now or never," Louis murmured quietly. He heard the stirring, slight shifting of feet and rustle of clothing all around them, but his flashlight could not penetrate the absolute darkness of the room to find the sources.
Zoey took a deep breath and led the way across the sea of inky blackness. The four survivors walked forward side-by-side, the only lights guiding them from the flashlights of their weapons. Their footsteps were swallowed by the darkness, which felt alive all around them.
However, a single point stood out to them in the gloom. It was a distant, far off light, coming through the glass of a covered pedestrian bridge, from the fires of the war-blasted landscape outside. They could see the sky-bridge.
As they made their way toward it, the flickering light suddenly vanished, and then reappeared a moment later. It was as though a silhouette had passed across it. Louis shone his flashlight in that direction, but saw nothing and no one.
But the sounds from the far recesses of the room – the muffled shifting, the quiet murmurs – remained. There was no telling how many of them were in here... with them.
A sudden and terrible scream tore its way through Louis' core and he swung his light around to see a gaunt, blood-covered woman bearing down on them from out of the shadows. His machine pistol spat flame as he unloaded a hail of bullets into her torso, dropping her in an instant.
However, the muzzle-flashes momentarily lit up most of the room. As soon as the light breached the darkness, Zoey was met with the scariest sight she had ever seen.
All around them, scattered throughout the room, were the haggard and hunched figures of the Infected. There must have been dozens upon dozens of them. The loud burst of gunfire from Louis' pistol caught their attention, and, in one single terrifying instant, all pairs of eyes turned to them.
Absolute darkness immediately enveloped the room once more, but the four survivors could still feel the eyes of the huge crowd of Infected boring holes into them. There were several moments of silence, before enraged growls and screams began to echo throughout the darkened room.
Suddenly, with no idea anymore in which direction was the way out, Zoey found herself dashing, dead blind, across an endless black abyss.