Feeding Frenzy

Chapter 4

 Josie and Joey clung to Evey as the truck took sharp turns. The inhuman screeching became louder before there was banging on the side of the truck. Evey jumped as she watched the metal dent in.

They could not see the hoard of infected people swarming the street. They had made it into a city not successfully cleansed of the infection. Ford's vehicle was the last of the four trucks going down the road.

A wave of people collided with the side of the first two trucks. People piled on top of each other and tipped the trucks over. Evey's heart pounded when she heard the crash.

Ford cranked the wheel to the side to avoid the piling crowd. He drove around the first two tipped trucks. There was growling and shrieking, but human cries joined the cacophony of noise. The Infected ripped the door off the first truck's hinges, and the people inside were trapped as the infected poured inside.

The Infected shattered the windshield. The two soldiers in the front seat set a rapid-fire of bullets to try and fight off the attack. They ran out of bullets, and hands grabbed their uniforms before they had time to reload. Teeth tore into their flesh.

Infected people hung onto the back of Ford's truck. They were dragged and unaffected by the road rash tearing their skin off. Ford could not see them hanging on.

Ford looked in the rearview mirror to see a group of Infected chase the truck. He thought about stopping and pulling out a gun but was outnumbered and knew he would be dead in minutes.

The passengers in the back could not see what was happening, but they heard a series of horrifying noises. Nicole clung to Ivan, and the Father prayed louder. Connar looked afraid for the first time.

"What's going on?" Connar asked.

"We must be under attack," Ivan said.

"Isn't this what you wanted?" Nicole asked Connar.

"Me?" Connar asked. "I don't want to die."

There was a growl before the sound of nails scraping along with the door's metal. Joey covered his ears. Connar stood and held onto the side of the truck to stay on his feet.

"They don't know they're on the back of the truck," Connar said. "We're going to be dragging them to the base."

"They'll fall off," Evey said. "They can't possibly hang on."

"We have to get them off," Connar said.

"How do we do that?" the priests asked.

The door dented as an Infected person banged their fist into the metal. The door jiggled as they tried to bust in. The hinge creaked, fighting to keep the door closed.

"They're going to come in here and kill us," Connar said. "Those soldiers will have no idea that we'll be dead."

Nicole stood and banged her fist on the wall between the front and back of the truck. She struggled to stay on her feet as the truck rocked.

"Hey!" Nicole screamed. "Stop the truck! They're going to kill us!"

The man beside the priest stood and joined Nicole pounding on the wall.

"Pull over!" he yelled. "We're going to die!"

Josie raised her head. Her brows were furrowed together as her eyes darted around the truck. Joey still had his hands over his ears and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Are we going to die, Evey?" Josie asked. Her voice was so soft that Evey could barely hear it over the banging.

Evey jumped as the Infected pounded into the door, causing a deeper dent. The light was pouring into the back of the truck as the door was bending off the hinges. Fingers squeezed their way through the tight cracks and wrapped around the door.

"We're going to be okay," Evey told the kids.

Her heart was pounding as she knew they were on the edge of death, but she could not tell them the truth. She needed to try and comfort them.

Nicole and the man started pounding harder and screaming louder as the Infected slowly peeled back the door.

Ford and Johnson could hear the faint sound of screaming. Ford looked into the mirror. The wave of Infected was now far behind them. The speed of their running slowed down, and they could not keep up with the speed truck.

"What's that noise?" Johnson asked.

Ford listened to the banging and screaming. It did not sound like the screeching of the Infected, and it was much more human and was drenched in fear.

"It's the civilians," Ford said.

"Do you think one of them is infected?" Johnson asked.

"Impossible," Ford said. "We tested everyone."

Ford looked in the mirror again and could not see any Infected. There was a sharp shriek, and he knew at least one was nearby.

He jerked the wheel to the side, keeping his eyes on the mirror. An Infected rolled off the back of the truck. He staggered to get back onto his feet and chased the truck. Ford swore.

"They're on the back of the truck," he said.

He slammed on the brakes. The civilians in the back of the truck were thrown. The door ripped further back, and Evey could see a woman's face. She was baring her teeth and foaming at the mouth. Blood was dripping from her eyes. Evey held Josie and Joey against her body so they could not see the woman.

Ford and Johnson got out of the front of the truck. Their guns were in their hands as they rushed around back. Ford raised his gun and shot the man charging at them. The bullet went into his brain, and blood sprayed in the air before he fell to the ground.

Two other Infected were clawing at the back door of the truck. One growled at Johnson, and he shot him in the head. The body flew back and onto the road. The other Infected, a woman, was half into the back of the truck. Johnson shot her in the back, and the woman was unaffected.

Ford grabbed the back of the woman's shirt and ripped her away from the door. He threw her onto the ground, but she was soon back on her feet. She shrieked, but Ford's gun cut it off. Brains splattered the road as she fell back.

"What's wrong with you?" Ford asked Johnson. "Shoot them in the head."

Johnson rolled his eyes. The door creaked as he opened it.

Nicole took a deep breath as she sat back down on the bench. Josie and Joey raised their heads to look at the soldiers. Evey craned her neck to see the dead bodies lying on the ground. Connar stood and threw his hands over his head.

"What was that?" he shouted. "We were almost lunch!"

"You weren't killed, were you?" Ford asked.

"Give us a gun," Connar said. "We need something to protect ourselves."

"Do you know how to use a gun?" Johnson asked.

Connar crossed his arms over his chest.

"No," he said, "but you seriously cannot leave us here unarmed."

Johnson reached for the knife strapped to his leg, held it out, and then set it down on the floor.

"Who wants it?" Johnson asked.

"Give it to the zombie killer," Ivan said, lifting his chin to gesture over to Connar.

"I can protect the group," Connar said as he bent down to pick up the knife.

"Good," Ford said. "We're not stopping again."

"We have to get to the base before night," Johnson said.

"What happens at night?" Nicole asked.

"I don't want to be with those things in the dark," the man that was banging on the truck said.

"Exactly," Ford said before slamming the door shut.