Regeneration

Chapter 49 - Some Dark Damp Place

Giving the hunters no chance to react, four silenced shots soared from Romero's rifle, collapsing three out of the four hunters. The fourth one went down by a bullet from my own gun. We moved further into the room, flashing our lights around to ensure nothing else was going to jump out and surprise us.

The pungent metallic scent of blood mingled with the stale air made it hard to breathe.

"God, it's him isn't it?" Arjoon grimaced.

As we moved closer towards the carnage, I could now see that chunks of flesh and tissue were missing from his face. My stomach turned at the sight. He was dead, killed, and feasted upon by the hunters. Forbes had suffered the fate that awaited all of us if we weren't careful enough.

Romero stooped next to the body, removing the rifle from Forbes' shoulder. He examined the blood smeared on the clip and mouth of the gun. Taking a handkerchief from his back pocket, he wiped most of the blood off the gun before pulling the strap onto his own shoulder and dropping the bloody handkerchief to the ground.

He gave the body a long look before rising, "Let's get out of here," Romero began towards the door we had entered from.

"Rest in peace Forbes," Arjoon made the sign of the cross and then followed after Romero.

I found myself still stuck to the spot I was standing in. Remembering the night I lost my Mom and Nylah. I had been forced to leave them dead in the street. No funeral, no goodbye, just gone. Sure, Forbes wasn't the best person around, but no one deserved an ending like this. Was this how all of us would meet our ends? Left alone to rot in some dark damp place with no proper way to remember us. Fading memories would be the only thing left of us, and even those would eventually die with the ones that possessed them.

"Hailey?" Romero stopped short of the door, looking back at me.

"We can't leave him like this," I shook my head, looking at Forbes' unmoving body.

"We don't know how many more hunters are down here," Romero reasoned, "We shouldn't linger."

I knew he was right, but it still felt wrong to leave him this way.

"I know," I said softly.

After studying me for a time, he nodded and began in my direction again. I sometimes felt that he could read my thoughts.

"We'll take him with us," Romero said with finality.

I got down on one knee and pressed the mouth of my rifle against Forbes' forehead. My eyes squeezed shut as my finger squeezed the trigger. The single shot embedded into Forbes' dead brain, insurance that it would stay that way.

"We need something to wrap him in," Romero stopped next to me, looking down at the body, "Arjoon, you'll watch the door."

He extended a hand to me, and I took it, pulling myself back up.

"Woah," Arjoon's voice sounded in the dark somewhere, "Mates, take a look at this," he seemed enthused at what he was looking at.

Walking away from the body, Romero and I flashed our lights around the dark till we spotted Arjoon.

"Bastard didn't die for nothing." Arjoon said as he stood beside a couple dozen crimson colored canisters, all labeled 'flammable.' Forbes had found the fuel before his demise.

Minutes later, we exited the labs, Romero carrying Forbes' body wrapped up in multiple lab coats we had found in a storage closet. Arjoon and I both carried a canister of fuel in each hand. Outside, It was nightfall. The hunters would have the advantage now. We needed to move as quickly as possible.

PIFF. PIFF. PIFF.

The sound of silenced bullets sounded around us, followed by the sound of bodies dropping to the ground.

The militia members had taken on an all-around defensive stance, firing at charging hunters that emerged from the darkness. I scanned the members, seeing that Dune and a few others who had entered the labs with us were here, helping to keep back the hunters.

"Reya!" I called out as we neared the trucks.

Turning around, she rushed over to us.

We stopped just short of the trucks, and Romero laid the body on the ground.

"Forbes..." Her eyes ran over the wrapped body, then to Romero.

He nodded in response.

A fury of footsteps rushed towards us. Bawden, Marco, and the other militia who were with them had emerged from the labs.

Reya embraced her father when he approached. She let go of him and moved next to Marco, letting her father survey the scene.

Bawden frowned, his jaw clenching at the sight of the body, "Damn Forbes," he shook his head. I could see sadness etch it's way into his features.

"Quite the risk bringing him out, but, thank you," Bawden looked at Romero, grateful.

"You have to thank Hailey," Romero said, looking at me.

Bawden shifted his attention to me and nodded, "Thank you, Hailey." He studied me for a few beats.

I nodded.

"We also wouldn't have found these," Arjoon lifted one of the fuel canisters up to his chest, his arm quivering a bit from the weight, "If she hadn't made us stay to get Forbes out of there."

"He found the fuel?" Bawden's eyes widened slightly.

"This is all we can carry for now," I said, looking down at the canisters in my hand, "But, there were dozens of canisters back there."

PIFF. PIFF. PIFF. PIFF. PIFF.

More shots sounded around, and more bodies fell to the ground.

"We'll return," Bawden assured, "But right now, we have to get moving. These things can see better than us in the dark." Bawden said with urgency.

"let's get him in the truck and roll out of here."

At his words, Marco moved to help Romero lift Forbes' body into the truck.

"Dune! Let's bring it in!" Bawden commanded, and Dune began shouting orders for the rest of the militia to tighten the defensive circle. One by one, we boarded the trucks while the others shot the on coming hunters. Soon, the trucks roared to life and burst into motion once everyone was inside.

Through the clouds, the moon emerged, it's pale light shining down on Brighton. Once night fell, it was a different world, entirely there's. A few hunters still chased behind the trucks relentlessly. New ones joining the chase as the vehicles rattled past houses and shops with broken down doors and windows. The hunters' thrashing forms seemed to appear out of the shadows.

I pulled my eyes away, shutting them. I tilted my head back so that it rested on the canvas of the truck. My muscles were tired and sore. I let them relax, my body swaying with the movement of the truck. We would be back at the camp soon. Hopefully...