Apocalypse Redemption

Chapter 13: The Bandits Arrive

The room went quiet as Darwin began to roll up the map he had lied down just moments before as the thuds became increasingly louder with every step. Alex mouthed to the group to "follow him", and he began to slowly stand up. The group did the same, and Alex motioned his hand to a back door that led to the street. Angela led the group through the door, and Alex kept his machine gun poised and aimed at the door they had entered the building from, for that was were they heard the bandit.  He saw a shadow loom over the enterance into the heart of the building.  Alex slouched down and sat down in a corner and still kept his gun still aimed at the enterance.  He supervised the rest of the group getting on another street.

He heard an incredibly loud noise that sounded like an air hatch, and then heard the bandit take a deep breath.  "Well.  The zombies haven't contaminated the air.  I don't see any sign of people.  They must be scared to death of us.  There seems to be a clear path to the wharf from here.  I'll let you know if it's safe."  He must have been talking to a radio.

His figure went walking by the door, towards the intersection that Alex had avoided.  Within moments, an explosion rocked the entire building, sending dust and pieces of walls falling around and hitting the ground.  Alex got out of his position and ran back to the rest of the group who were already out of the building and heading south on a new street.

"He's dead.  Walked right into the minefield.  But they won't know how he died, which is why we need to leave fast.  I'm not taking any chances with the bandits."  Alex confirmed to the group.

He rushed to the front of the group and aimed his gun into the windows of buildings around them.  He feared of more bandits and people hiding out in the shelters. He made a side note to avoid all intersections, for they could be hidden minefields, so when they encountered their first one, they manuevered into the side of a building and out the other side of the opposite street. It was an extended process, but it ensured that no lives would be lost to a hidden catastrophe.

After a few intersections and the repeated rhythm of flowing in and out of buildings constantly, a dent was put into the plan.

A large tank like vehichle was seen drivin down a street, and was coming directly to an intersection. The group had made their way into a building that touched the same street as the tank. Alex told the group to go ahead as he took a seat once more and was curious to see if all intersections within a certain area of the wharf had become minefields. The group did as he asked, and continued on their way, for this was the only immenant threat they had seen for quite a few blocks.

He looked at the shadow that began to enlarge, and he backed further away from the door and sunlight to avoid detection. He saw the front of the tank pass him by, and felt a sigh of relief as the cannon also passed by. He looked to the intersection in anticipation.

The tank rolled over the center of the intersection, and nothing exploded. A second wave of relief washed over him, for there weren't any minefields here.

Suddenly, a rocket zoomed from across the street and struck the side of the tank. The cannon was ripped off the roof of the tank and sent flying into the building Alex stood in. It impacted the secon floor and caused an explosion of concrete and glass, causing shards of glass to rain on him. The tank did a complete barrel roll as it was slowly destroyed from the blast.

But it wasn't over.

Bullets from a machine gun rattled out from the building the rocket had been shot from, and every shot was directed at Alex. The man had seen him.

The remains of the glass were spewed around the building as Alex ran across the next street to try to reach his friends. Upon exiting the building, the bullets had stopped, but the sound of a rocket launching now filled the air. Alex turned his head behind him and saw the man had fired a rocket.

But not at him.

Across the intersection was a bandit who was running at an incredible speed. He quickly dodged the rocket, which exploded on impact behind him, and jumped into the air, almost completely level with the third story that the men were on. A miniature rocket fired from his fist and went flying into the building. The room holding the two men instantly exploded, causing the bodies of the two men to burst into pieces and be scattered across the pavement.

Alex was disgusted, but had to keep moving. He ran into the next building over, avoiding the intersection, and found the group there. "We saw the whole thing." Claire said.

"Are you alright?" Kathy and Darwin asked almost immediately.

"I'm fine. But we need to get there fast. The wharf shouldn't be a problem. We got guns. Getting there with the bandits around is going to be he problem. We can't kill them, but they are perfectly capable of killing us. It's not a fair fight." Alex finished.

"I took this time to look at the map, and we're about a mile from the wharf. We're not too much further away." Darwin said tappinng his map.

"Awesome! We're almost there!! We just have to make the final push." Alex told them.