Feeding Frenzy

Chapter 5

 No one said another word for the rest of the trip to the base. Connar had the handle of the knife clutched in his grip. Josie got off of Evey's lap but insisted on holding her hand. Joey was resting his head on her lap as he napped. Evey ran her fingers through his blond hair.

The truck stopped, and all of the civilians glanced at each other. Evey listened as the front doors to the truck slammed shut, and footsteps crunched. The door opened, and they were ushered onto the base. Josie and Joey kept hold of Evey's hand.

Only two of the four trucks that left the high school made it to the base. The two that tipped over did not survive the attack, and Evey shuddered at the thought of them being eaten alive.

A group of people was standing outside the other truck. Evey walked over, pulling the kids, when she saw Fiona. She was thankful to have a familiar face, and Fiona's eyes widened when she saw them approaching.

"Oh, Evey," she said. "Thank heavens you are alright."

"Have they said anything to you?" Evey asked.

"Nothing since the gymnasium."

Evey nodded. Her eyes darted around the base to see a few more soldiers join. She wondered if they came from another town after the mass killings. A flash of her parents' dead bodies filled her mind as she squeezed her eyes shut. Part of her was thankful that Ford dragged her out of the home before Johnson shot Lila.

Johnson whistled and silenced everyone. They all turned to look at him.

"Any medical professionals here?" he asked.

Evey let go of Josie so that she could raise her hand. She looked at the crowd to see that she was the only one. She swallowed past the lump that was forming in her throat.

"I'm an ER nurse," Evey said.

"Perfect," Johnson said. "Anyone else?"

Silence fell over the crowd. The man that had been sitting next to the priest stepped forward.

"My clients call me Dr. Anjo," he said.

"Wonderful," Johnson said. "You two come with me."

Evey stepped forward, and Josie clung to her leg. Evey pulled her off and crouched in front of her and Joey.

"I'll be back," she said. She wasn't sure about it. "Stay with Fiona. She's a teacher, and you'll really like her."

They both looked warily up at Fiona, who gave them a small wave. Evey straightened and wiped her sweaty palms on her shorts. Evey walked beside Anjo when Johnson started to walk away. Ford put his hand on Johnson's shoulder.

"I'll take them," Ford said.

"Are you sure?" Johnson asked.

Ford nodded.

"I've got these two," he said.

Evey didn't like the way he said that. She tried to tell herself that she was safe. Ford said she was too valuable when he discovered she was a nurse. Besides, if they would be killed, why not murder them with the others?

Evey and Anjo followed Ford through the base and into an infirmary. There were empty beds spread out across the room. It was cold and smelled sterile. Evey could see equipment hanging on the wall, and carts were stacked with medical supplies.

"You two will be here," Ford said. "Anjo, take lead."

"Me?" Anjo pointed his thumb at himself.

"Yes," Ford said. "You're the doctor."

"Yes," Anjo said. "I'm the doctor."

Evey raised her hand. Ford raised a brow, telling her to ask her question.

"Why do we need to work here?" she asked.

"Immune are living here," Ford said. "People get sick."

"How long will we be here for?" Anjo asked.

"Until we have a plan," Ford said.

--

Nicole wiped away the sweat on her temple with the back of her hand. Evey and Anjo had walked away and were now surrounded by soldiers. She had been on edge since the military stormed into their apartment. The soldiers pulled her out of her home before she could grab her phone. Nicole heard stories from the others about watching their families be murdered. She had no idea if her family was immune.

Johnson opened his mouth to speak, but there was a screech. Nicole jumped, recognizing the sound of the Infected. She grabbed Ivan's arm and looked around the base. The soldiers had their guns up and were ready to fire.

Another shriek rang throughout the air. A man, a soldier who was bleeding from his eyes, sprinted toward the group. A rapid fire of bullets rained down on the man, and they only hit him in the limbs or the protective armor on his chest.

"The head," Johnson called out. "Aim for the head!"

Another series of bullets hit the Infected man. He finally collapsed when his skull was pierced and his brains splattered. Johnson's heart was pounding as he lowered the gun. He turned to face Schwab. He was a new recruit that had been on the base for a few months.

"I thought I told you to test everyone?" Johnson asked.

"We only tested the ones with symptoms," Schwab said.

"Are you an idiot?" Johnson asked. "It's too late once they already have symptoms. We can only save those who are immune."

"That would be killing off most of the base."

"That's the point."

A series of screams mixed. The screeching was inhuman and getting louder. The soldiers raised their weapons again. Nicole's fingers curled around Ivan's arm.

"Oh, shit," Johnson said. He looked over at the soldiers. "Get the civilians to the pick-ups. They can outrun those things."

A new set of soldiers came into view. They were frothing at the mouth and baring their teeth.

A wave of bullets was fired into the crowd. The bodies fell, and the Infected soldiers behind stumbled over them. They pushed themselves back up and continued to run.

"To the trucks!" Johnson yelled.

One soldier waved his arm to motion for the Immune to follow. They ran off, and Johnson stayed back to protect the slower-moving civilians. Fiona was struggling to drag Josie and Joey forward. She wanted to pick them up but needed to be stronger to carry both.

They ran into the garage. Each soldier climbed into the front seat of a pick-up truck. The Immune filled the trucks as the Infected closed in. Fiona and Johnson were the last ones to reach the garage. Johnson lifted each of the kids into the backseat and fastened their seatbelts. Fiona and Johnson climbed in the front.

The growling grew louder. Tires screeched across the ground as they pulled away.

The first truck drove, and the Infected swarmed. Two climbed onto the hood of the truck, and the soldier tried to jerk the truck from side to side to knock them off.

An Infected balled up his fist and shattered the windshield. He grabbed the soldier, who had not done up his seatbelt and pulled him out of the truck. He screamed as the two Infected devoured him. Other Infected soldiers broke the windows of the truck and forced their way in.

The other trucks used them as sacrificial lambs. They dodged the Infected as they were too busy killing everyone in the first truck. The Infected that were not feasting on the first truck chased the others.

Johnson gripped the steering wheel as he was the last truck to leave. Fiona turned to look out the back window and watch the Infected run. They became smaller as they could not keep up with the vehicle. She glanced down at the children before her heart sunk in her chest.

"We have to go back," she said.

"Back?" Johnson asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Evey is still back there."

"We can't go back. They'll be dead. There is no surviving that."