Author's Note: For anybody who read the last chapter, I have gone back and re-worked the ending of the battle between Chuck and the Convicts.
XXXXXX
Chapter 10: No More Clowning Around
It had taken some time due to the zombies' enhanced nighttime aggression, but after a quick stop by the totaled Humvee to grab its heavy machine gun, Chuck was now arriving at the food court entrance, the ground behind him carpeted by the shredded remnants of what had once been a ravenous horde.
Using the massive gun to push his way through the glass doors he spotted a few zombies shambling about to his left, yet they were far enough away to avoid another confrontation and he made his way for the Wonderland Plaza's entrance.
Entering the massive space he looked up and true to Otis' word, the Space Racer was zooming around above him at dangerous speeds. He grimaced as he listened to the rattle of the roller coaster's track and knew he had to do something fast or else the car was going to go flying off the rails and crash into who knows where.
Yet as it always was, there was an entire mass of zombies staggering about before the play area that granted access to the coaster's platform. With their newly-enhanced senses they were able to hear the loud clinking of Chuck lugging the heavy gun about and they shifted their focus on him.
With a roar that would have made Don Blambo blush, the former motocross champion leveled the mighty gun and opened fire upon the advancing mob, quickly reducing the bloodthirsty legion to a pile of mangled flesh and bone, a few crippled survivors still clawing away stubbornly at the air above them. They were in no position to be of any further threat and Chuck just ran past them and back into the play area where all the madness began.
Again, he could hear the loud clatter as the Space Racer zoomed above him, getting closer to flying off the track with every new rotation it took. He needed to get the ride stopped and fast. He ascended the stairs as fast as his feet would take him and he came to the control panel.
"Alright, let's see what we can do here," Chuck said to himself as he scanned the multitude of buttons and switches covering the surface.
By the time he noticed the large slot in the center, he was cut off by a bone-jarring laughter that left him nearly shitting his pants.
"Stay away from there, Gramps!" called a falsetto voice, followed by the revving of multiple chainsaws.
There were no words uttered as Chuck whirled around to face the same red-haired clown who had earlier in the day been entertaining the children, now marching towards him while juggling two chainsaws in a show of amazing dexterity before gracefully catching them and letting out a grating cackle before collapsing to a knee.
"Everyone used to laugh at me..." Bebop the Clown giggled rising back to his feet, "I was a walking punchline," he said taking a few steps towards his unnerved guest.
"But not anymore," he continued, shaking his head and adopting a more somber tone, yet still maintaining the creepily cartoonish quality that left Chuck's heart racing.
"When the zombies came, everyone died!" the clown spoke in his mock doleful tone as he inched towards Chuck, finally stopping as he was almost forcing him onto the coaster's track.
"Oh god, why you of all people?" Chuck asked himself as the clown's demented giggle soon morphed into his trademark laugh.
"Get away from me!" Chuck demanded as the clown's hysterical laughter grew in volume, inching backwards until he felt the cool metal guard in his grasp.
The clown ignored his plea and revved his chainsaws, beginning to juggle them once again as he spoke.
"That's why I decided to give all the happy people a lift on this fun ride!"
Chuck could hear the loud metallic clatter as the coaster car approached the boarding platform and he turned to face it, grunting in a mixture of terror and confusion.
The car sped through the boarding station and inside Chuck saw two child-sized happy-faced dolls seated, both of them drenched in fresh blood.
"I won't let you stop the ride, Gramps! If the ride stops, then the zombies come back, and that won't be any fun at all!" Bebop concluded, still juggling his chainsaws before letting out one final demented laugh.
"Goddamn, I've gotta get away from this fruitcake!" Chuck said hoping he could leap over to the opposite platform, only to be halted by another strident laugh.
Waiting for him on the other side was Bebop's blue-haired brother, towering over him with his eponymous stilts.
"How about a little ice cream?" he asked, pulling out a futuristic-looking toy gun.
His heart was hammering and he needed to think fast. Faced with a chainsaw-wielding maniac on one end and another armed with God knows what, he need to find a way out.
It was then he heard the clatter coming from behind him and again saw the Space Racer heading his way.
"Fuck it," he muttered and leaped into the front seat, swatting the bloodied dolls away.
"H-Help me!" a voice cried from behind him.
Chuck looked over his shoulder to find a dark-haired man wearing the blue jacket of a Willamette Mall employee in the seat behind him. He had been so caught up in his fear of the clowns only now did he take notice of the man.
"Please! You've gotta stop them! They're insane! They put me here!" the man pleaded, his badge identifying him as "Greg Simpson."
Chuck did not reply and only focused on hanging on as the cart rocketed along the track. They drew closer to the boarding platform and he saw both the clowns had vanished. The thought of getting off and possibly facing them again terrified the ex-racer, his memory flashing back to that carnival fun house from all those years ago, the laughter from all those clowns still echoing through his mind.
"Please, man! You've gotta help me! This cart's gonna fly off the track! We're gonna die if that happens!" Greg pleaded.
He was right. Something needed to be done about these maniacs.
"C'mon Chuck, you can't let your fears rule you for the rest of your life. You would think a bunch of flesh-eating zombies would show you there are worse things in the world than some yahoo running around covered in greasepaint with a big stupid red nose," he told himself.
The time had come. It was time for Chuck Greene to confront his fear of clowns.
They were drawing closer to the boarding platform and the former champion slowly pushed himself back to his feet and perched himself on the narrow ledge.
"Don't worry. I'll be back for you. I'm gonna show them there's no more clowning around. Not on my watch," Chuck replied and with a loud 'oomph' leaped from the cart and landed roughly on the metal platform.
He was immediately met by Bebop the Clown's strident laughter, the demented entertainer charging towards him with both chainsaws buzzing at his sides. He threw his arms into the air and attempted to bring them down onto the former champ, but Chuck rolled out of the way and ran down the flight of stairs to create some distance between himself and the painted menace.
The red-haired clown only laughed and began blowing a large red balloon, waiting until it was about the size of a small boulder before kicking it towards his opponent.
"Okay, that can't be good," Chuck whispered to himself as he watched the large balloon slowly bouncing towards him, sidestepping as it sprang past him and into the face of a zombie. The elastic projectile popped and an irritant gas exploded into the ghoul's face, yet it had no effect due to the being's undead state. He could only guess what would happen if that was exposed to a still living human and he wasn't ready to find out.
The revving of chainsaws came from behind and Chuck turned to find Bebop rolling towards him and again swiping his saws forth. He was dangerously close and the former champ raised his handgun firing a few shots, all of which were deflected when the clown crossed his saws in front of him.
"Here we go!" the madman shouted and began spinning himself around with his saws extended, cutting down a few zombies shambling about outside the Run Like the Wind shoe store. Fortunately, Chuck was far enough away and he waited until the insane clown dizzied himself out, pulling out his Defiler and charging the man to knock him backwards.
In spite of the massive blow, the clown was quick to recover and he let out a sinister giggle before exhaling a gust of flames that Chuck was barely able to avoid.
There would be no time to capitalize as the loud clopping of wood against marble came from behind and he turned to find himself faced with Bebop's brother towering over him, firing a cluster of snowball-like projectiles his way, sending him running for cover and barely dodging a swipe from the red-haired brother's chainsaws.
"Freezer pops! Come and get 'em!" Stilts shouted firing a burst into the air and sending multiple freezing projectiles landing on the floor at once, creating a slippery surface that sent Chuck colliding with a zombified police officer and landing flat on his ass. There were more zombies nearby staggering towards him and he needed to find somewhere he could catch a breather.
The Sir Book-a-Lot book store was nearby and Chuck pushed himself through the entrance, taking cover behind a bookcase and catching his breath.
"Dammit. It just had to be clowns," he grunted to himself, quickly shutting up when he heard the moans of an approaching zombie. He listened for the shambling footsteps and was ready to pounce as they drew nearer. He wasted no time as the lone ghoul staggered past him and he performed a foot sweep that took the intruder from his feet, following up with a field goal kick that separated its head from its shoulders.
He could hear the crazy cackling of the two brothers in the distance and knew his time for relaxation was up. He looked over and saw some snacks, a baguette and a large soda lying on the floor nearby, wondering if some other unfortunate souls had attempted to take cover here in all the ensuing madness. Whatever the case was, they were no longer around to enjoy the food and so Chuck helped himself, knowing it would be needed to replenish his lost health.
Chuck's timing turned out to not be so impeccable as he made his way out to be met by the ice cream-obsessed clown.
"I know what you want, little boy!" Stilts laughed in his high-pitched timbre, firing another blast from his snowball cannon that Chuck barely avoided, freezing a zombie solid in its place. He took cover behind the frozen ghoul, who exploded into bloody chunks a second later as the blue-haired clown's stilt connected in an effort to kick his target down.
"Not tonight!" Chuck shouted running down the stairs in an effort to create more distance between himself and the madman.
He could have sworn the brothers shared some kind of psychic fraternal link because as soon as he reached the bottom floor, Bebop was there to meet him, rolling towards him like a bowling ball. He barely dodged another downward swipe of the clown's saws and was forced to flee again as the madman spun himself around with his chainsaws extended, cutting down more zombies in his path as he tried to slice up his prey.
"Gonna take more than that," Chuck grumbled while running away from the madman, only to bump head on into an oncoming zombie. He knocked the ghoul to the floor, but the blow also stunned him and another zombie was there to grasp his shoulders.
"Get away!" he shouted while struggling to pull himself away. With another mighty grunt he managed to bring his foot up and execute a standing kick that knocked the zombie away from him.
It would be that distraction that would screw Chuck over in the end as an oversized balloon exploded in his face, the irritant gas inside causing him to cough violently. As the air drained from his lungs, he would then feel a sudden chill throughout his body when he looked down to see his legs cemented to the ground by solid ice. The remnants of a liquid nitrogen canister rested at his feet and he looked up to see a cackling Stilts the Clown.
"Awww, it seems like our new friend is feeling a little chilly under the collar. Maybe this should warm you up!" Bebop laughed before blowing a gust of flame in Chuck's direction.
The fire melted the ice, yet left the former champion ablaze and he ran about flailing his arms wildly until they dissipated, yet he was left in pain all over.
"Shit...shit...shit," he muttered, trying to find any safe place where he could regain some lost energy.
Ducking down behind a cosmetics kiosk, he pulled out the baguette and scarfed it down before readying his shotgun.
"Oh, where could our dear friend have run off to?" he heard Bebop asking in mock sadness, his chainsaws revving in anticipation. "Where oh where could you have run off to, Gramps?"
"Right here, Bozo!" Chuck shouted jumping out and firing a blast the clown barely had time to deflect, a few buckshot fragments shredding through his garish outfit. After a brief 'ooh' the madman was back to his mad cackling and was tossing hunting knives at him.
The clopping of wood was heard and Chuck looked to find the other clown brother chasing after him before firing his snowball cannon into the air, its projectiles raining down and freezing the ground, causing a few zombies to slip and slide about. Chuck tried to run on the slippery surface, yet found himself again almost falling flat on his ass.
"Now what flavor would you like, young man?" the blue-haired clown asked before kicking his stilt upward and sending Chuck flying backwards.
Chuck struggled back to his feet only to find Bebop blowing up another one of his large balloons and sending it bouncing his way. At the same time a woman in a soiled multi-colored shirt shambling towards him with fresh entrails dripping from her opened mouth and her bony fingers just inches away from him. Seeing an opening, he shoved the zombified woman into the balloon's path. The gas had no effect on her, but she created more needed space between himself and the blue-haired freak as he chased after him.
"Snow cones! Get your snow cones!" he barked as he would to regular customers, his mania leaving him oblivious to their perilous surroundings while he reached for another liquid nitrogen filled bomb and tossed it at the fleeing survivor, only to strike another zombie that had hobbled into his way.
Chuck made his way into the play area and waited for Stilts to draw closer before he kicked one of the toy cubes at him like it were a soccer ball. The blow stunned the blue-haired clown and with that opening he scooped up a nearby gumball machine and tossed it at his pursuer, knocking the man to the ground with a loud crash and spilling its contents onto the floor, causing a few zombies to slip and fall.
"Peek-a-boo!" a familiar voice sounding like nails on a chalkboard called out and Chuck turned to see Bebop again rolling towards him like a bowling ball before he leaped up and tried bringing his chainsaws down onto his intended quarry.
Chuck again rolled out of the way to avoid him and sought higher ground atop the large soccer ball before kicking another toy cube his way. Surprisingly, he found another submachine gun atop the yellow colored toy brick house and scooped it up. He looked over to see Bebop in the process of inflating another balloon and an idea came to mind.
Taking careful aim he fired and popped the balloon in the clown's face, causing him to fall victim to his own irritant gas. With his opponent left a hacking mess, Chuck fired another barrage into the madman before running up and delivering a drop kick that knocked him from his feet, careful to move out of the way before Bebop could rise and blow another gust of fire his way.
"Time to send you outta the park," Chuck said readying the Defiler and raising it high above his head to deliver the killing strike to the psychotic clown, only to find himself knocked forward again.
"Get 'em while they're cold!" Stilts' voice called out from behind before letting out a strident laugh rivaling that of his older brother before clicking his cannon and firing a blast directed a Chuck, who grimaced as he was struck by a snowball that dramatically slowed his movements.
"Dammit," Chuck grunted as he struggled to keep moving, fighting against his own frozen muscles as he tried running away and doing more zombies roaming about.
"Where are you going, young man? You still have yet to try my latest flavor," Stilts called out as he reached for another canister clipped to his belt.
Chuck kept running until he came across a utility cart with a push broom on the side and he grabbed the broom, tossing it at the blue-haired menace and getting it caught between his stilts.
Stilts the Clown wobbled wildly while struggling to maintain his balance and aim his cannon simultaneously. Chuck wasted no time and shoved the cart into the ice cream salesman, sending him crashing to the floor with a violent thud and breaking off his stilts along with the lifts concealed beneath his pant legs that made him look taller than he really was.
"Man, that guy had a short fuse," Chuck quipped regarding the man's dwarf stature.
He turned to find Bebop again rolling towards him and readied the Defiler. Drawing the mighty combo weapon back, he brought it forward with a powerful swing that caught the crazy clown in the middle of his back and sent him flailing backwards. What would follow was a particularly gruesome and disturbing spectacle.
The clown fell backwards onto his own chainsaws as they remained running. He convulsed violently as they ripped his stomach apart, spilling gallons of blood in a massive pool forming around his body.
All the while he laughed maniacally, enjoying the torture inflicted upon him.
The mad laughter echoed throughout the plaza and it became too much for Chuck, who looked away and clamped his hands over his ears in an effort to shut everything out. It was a futile effort as his ears began ringing from a deafening racket that seemed to go on for hours, yet only lasted for a few seconds until the mad clown bled out.
The laughter stirred Evan MacIntyre (Stilts the Clown as he was known professionally) from his slumber and he pushed himself into a sitting position just in time to witness his older brother's gruesome demise.
"Adam..." he gasped, rising to his feet and pounding his chest in fury as he ran after the blond-haired man as fast as his stubby legs would take him, letting out a ferocious battle cry as he charged the man.
The mad clown's laughter slowly died down and Chuck lowered his hands, only to hear a battle cry coming from behind and he turned to see the blue-haired clown charging after him.
"You're going to try all my flavors!" the diminutive madman roared, bolting towards him with a speed he had not expected, huffing and puffing the entire way before he leaped high into the air and landed on Chuck's chest.
"You think this is funny?" the madman asked as he pummeled away at Chuck's face.
"Get...off...me...you...little...turd!" Chuck grunted between blows before grabbing the dwarf and tossing him away.
Undeterred, the blue-haired dwarf was quickly back to his feet and charging head on towards the ex-racer, tackling him with the fake ice cream tone atop his head extended and again knocking Chuck down hard.
"Now you're the walking punchline," Evan quipped, dancing around while Chuck staggered back to his feet.
"I'm not outta the fight just yet, squirt!" Chuck retorted before cracking his neck back into place.
Evan responded with another roar before making his next charge, but Chuck was prepared and rolled out of the way this time. With the Defiler still in his possession, he waited for the clown to recover before taking a swipe that knocked his enemy backwards and then he leaped into the air to execute and elbow drop that knocked the wind out of the diminutive fellow before again kicking him away.
The ice cream salesman struggled back to his feet following the brutal beat down, yet he was determined to remain in the fight.
"I'm gonna cut you down to size," Evan slurred while wobbling about in his disoriented state before collapsing against a nearby jewelry kiosk. His snowball cannon lay nearby and he picked it up and prepared to take aim, only to find it empty.
His options were not yet exhausted as he remembered one freeze canister was still clipped to his belt and he pulled it free while trying to pull himself back to his feet.
Unfortunately, he was still far too disoriented and the canister fell from his hand and landed at his feet.
Chuck could only watch as the canister exploded and the bantam salesman was coated in the cooling liquid, yet he still staggered towards him as his body was rapidly freezing.
"You...scream..." he slurred, "I...scream..." he said taking a few steps with what little energy he had left, "We all...scream for...ice cream..." he barely finished just as his body was frozen solid.
Chuck walked over to the now frozen clown and brought his foot up to knock him over, his body shattering into pieces.
"Heh, that guy kinda' cracked me up," Chuck quipped as he walked away.
He had done it. He had faced his fear of clowns and had emerged victorious.
Again, it forced him to take into perspective how such a childish fear was miniscule when compared to the very real possibility of a bunch of zombies wanting to rip him apart limb by limb.
He was left feeling like he had truly crossed the bridge and there was no more looking back.
Now he needed to stop the ride and he walked past Bebop's shredded corpse to find a small square-shaped object lying in the pool of blood.
A key card!
Chuck remembered seeing the slot on the ride's control panel and he scooped the card up, using a nearby discarded cloth to wipe the blood away. He made his way up the stairs and slid the card through the slot and punched in a few commands before the Space Racer finally came to a halt at the boarding platform, a very much alive Greg Simpson stumbling out of the car and puking his guts out.
"Are you alright?" Chuck asked helping the man back to his feet.
"I'm fine," Greg replied wiping some bile away from his lips, "Thanks! I was in some real trouble there. Are there any other survivors around?"
"There sure are. Everyone's in the security room. It's safe there," Chuck replied.
"The security room?" his head perked up, "I know a shortcut there. This way! C'mon!"
Greg ran down the stair, only to be halted by another approaching horde of zombies.
"Allow me," Chuck said stepping up and swinging away with his Defiler, cutting a swath through the wall of decaying flesh. "Go!"
Greg did as ordered and ran along the mezzanine floor dodging a few more zombie lumbering about before calling out, "Over here!" he motioned towards the stairs leading to the lower level.
Chuck was right behind him and quick to eliminate any stragglers that had gotten too close for comfort as they descended the stairs.
"Over there! The women's restroom!" Greg shouted as he looked around for more zombies charging after them.
"Lead the way! I'll cover your six," Chuck said again raising the Defiler and lopping the head off a bandaged zombie.
"Right," Greg said before a zombie grabbed onto him, "Chuck!"
"I'm on it," the ex-racer called out and pulled the balding man away before he could sink his teeth into the janitor's shoulder, throwing him to the floor and delivering a field goal kick that sent his head flying.
"Over there!" Chuck motioned towards the play area.
"Are you serious?" Greg asked.
"Trust me," Chuck replied, running into the enclosed area where Bebop's corpse lay, a few zombies already feasting on it. Using the Defiler, he swatted the feeding ghouls away and kicked the deceased clown's corpse aside to scoop up his mini chainsaws.
"Here," he said offering one to Greg.
"Thanks," the janitor replied, starting it up and slicing through the body of another approaching zombie. Now armed, he enthusiastically led the way to the restrooms and together the duo entered the ladies' room, where Greg motioned towards a ceiling vent.
"Just head through here and we're already at Paradise Plaza. Nice shortcut, huh?" he asked.
"Right," Chuck said climbing onto the sink and opening the hatch.
XXXXXX
It didn't take long for the duo to make their way through the hidden passage and it was only a matter of minutes before they were opening the vent leading to the Paradise Plaza womens' restroom.
"That's as far as I can take you. You're on your own from here on out," Greg spoke while dusting off his gray pants.
"Whatever you say. Now come on," Chuck said exiting the restroom to find more zombies waiting for them. Pulling out a mini chainsaw taken from Bebop's corpse, he revved it loud enough to catch their attention and waited for them to approach before he sliced through them in another gory spectacle that painted the walls red with congealed blood.
"Follow me," Chuck shouted, seeing the warehouse entrance in the distance and the zombies were spread far out enough to make it without much difficulty. Within seconds the duo had sliced their way through a few more zombies before they were arriving at the door.
"Damn, that was close," Greg gasped after the door was slammed shut behind them.
Chuck was about to respond when a groan suddenly came from up ahead. Both men froze in place and listened for the shambling footsteps that followed.
"Dammit, why here of all places?" the former champ whispered before turning to Greg, "Stay put."
Chuck crept down the hall and made his way into the open area, only to find himself surrounded by zombies.
"Damn," he grunted aloud, "How the hell did they get in here?" he asked himself as they took notice and staggered towards him.
A faint buzzing from above interrupted his thoughts and Chuck barely ducked a large bee before it connected with his head.
If there was one thing else he hated aside from clowns, it was bees.
The large queen bee flew in front of him and he finally got a look at her glowing red eyes, reminding him much of the zombies. Sizing him up, she dive bombed him.
"Shit!" he spat, bringing his hands up and swatting the bothersome pest to the ground and quickly stomping on it as the zombies drew closer.
"Huh?"
The zombies suddenly halted and started to break out in spasms, the convulsions growing with every stomp to the fallen queen until they were falling to their knees. Without warning, their heads began to explode one by one. In the end, Chuck Greene stood alone in a room full of headless corpses.
"What in the hell is going on around here?" he asked looking down to the stomped carcass.
Whatever the case was, the bee and the zombies appeared related. It was something Brad and Jessie would be interested in knowing and finding a piece of paper, he carefully scooped the queen's splattered remains up and placed it in his pocket.
"Chuck, is everything safe?" Greg called out inching towards the open area, only to gasp in horror when he noticed the headless corpses littering the floor.
"Yeah, it's all safe. C'mon," Chuck replied and the duo made their way to the elevator.
XXXXXX
Within minutes the duo was arriving at the safety of the security office and immediately Greg found himself overjoyed.
"Otis! You're OK! Thank god!" he triumphantly whooped.
"Good to see you too, son. Looks like our card game is gonna have to wait for the time being," the elderly janitor chuckled, happy to see his co-worker alive and well.
"I'll let you two catch up. I've got more pressing matters to deal with," Chuck said making his way into the monitor room, where Jessie still sat reviewing all the monitor feeds and Rebecca skimmed over recorded footage on her camcorder.
"You're back," Jessie said looking away from the monitors.
"Yes, and I uncovered something you and Brad might be interested in," Chuck said unfolding the paper carrying the queen bee's carcass and laying it before the DHS agent.
"It's a bee. Since when did this turn into biology class?" Rebecca asked with a roll of her eyes.
"Hey, this is no ordinary bee!," Chuck replied, "I stomped on this little bastard down in the warehouse and when I did, it killed a whole bunch of zombies. They convulsed and then their heads exploded. These two have to be related somehow."
"Bees controlling zombies? Hmm, that's something new," Rebecca said as she switched on her camera to film the splattered carcass, "Could it be that once you are stung by this particular species you become a zombie? Another reason for people to hate these little buzzing bastards so much."
"We don't know if it could be that simple, but if we can prove some kind of connection, it would be our key to find out the cause behind the outbreak," Jessie spoke up.
"Well, I'm no scientist, but I would be inclined to agree based upon what I've seen firsthand," Chuck nodded in agreement as Otis crept in behind him to use the coffee machine.
"And the only scientist we know of isn't talking to us," Rebecca replied shutting her camera off.
"We might be stuck between a rock and a hard place, but I'm not gonna let that stop me from finding out what the hell's going on," Chuck said with the characteristic iron will that had enabled him to survive life's past challenges and the current dilemma he was caught in, especially if it meant being able to protect his daughter.
Chuck's focus turned to Otis, who stood transfixed by one of the monitors.
"What's up?" he asked.
The janitor jabbed his finger in the direction of the easternmost security monitor, "Someone's barricading the women's clothing shop in Al Fresca Plaza."
Chuck leaned closer to observe the grainy black and white footage, which showed to figures pulling a steel rack and a plywood panel in front of the store's entrance before disappearing from sight while a few zombies shambled about nearby. Weber's Garments the place was called, a name he would need to keep in mind.
"From the looks of it, two people are hidin' inside," the elderly janitor stated the obvious.
In spite of everything going on, there were still survivors scattered around the mall premises and no doubt they were tired, hungry and scared out of their minds. Chuck thought to himself that if he were stuck in their position, he too would want some big badass hero to roll in, kill all the bad guys and escort him to safety.
"Al Fresca Plaza you said?" Chuck asked the janitor, "I'll see what I can do."
"Oh and Chuck, good luck!" Rebecca called out, an uncharacteristic show of selflessness on her part.
"Thanks," Chuck replied as he made his way to the opened vent.
XXXXXX
Author's Note: And so ends yet another installment and more soon-to-be heroism on behalf of Chuck Greene.
Don Blambo is a spoof of John Rambo.
Now that I've gotten this chapter completed, the scene where Chuck encounters the infected wasp was my way of trying to make sense of how James (from the last chapter) could have become a zombie in spite of being gunned down by Cletus. My theory behind that is that he could have somehow been infected before his encounter with Cletus, possibly through having been stung by one of the queens, since he doesn't appear to show any signs of having been bitten in his final in-game model.
Since Cletus doesn't kill him with a head shot that would have destroyed his brain, it's possible the virus would have still been in James' system and caused him to reanimate, something he could have possibly been seconds away from doing when encountered in the game.
For survivors rescued in this chapter:
Greg Simpson, 38
Alright, I think that's everything covered so until then, read and review! This is Metal Harbinger saying KEEP IT FUCKING METAL!