The Infection

Chapter 18

"Tom, are you guys in position? Over." Tom picked up his radio and looked over to the other building, where he could see Cassie looking at him with the walkie talkie to her mouth. "Yeah, we're all set here. Over." He watched as she looked through her binoculars to the street next to them. 

After a moment, she asked, "Can you give the radio to Ben? Over."  He sighed and glanced over to Ben, who was casually patrolling the edge of the building. He hated that he and Cassie were together. He hated that she loved him and he loved her. 

He hated Ben. He really did. They used to talk about how nothing could ever break their brotherly bond, but something actually did. It was sad...but it couldn't be more true.

"Ben," he called. Ben looked over and Tom held up the radio to him. He walked over and took it from him. "This is Cumberbatch," he said into the radio. He was greeted by Cassie's voice saying, "How is it over there, Batch?"

He smiled and walked back over to the edge of the building. "It's going fine," he told her. "How is it there?" He looked at her through his binoculars and saw her roll her eyes over at Chris. "It's fine," she answered. "Can I ask you something? Seeing as this might be the last night we're alive?"

Chuckling, he told her, "Go ahead." It took a minute...or two for her to actually say something. He was about to ask if something was wrong, but then she asked, "Why didn't you tell me you saved me?" He furrowed his eyebrows, confused. 

"What do you mean?" He asked. He waited curiously. "Tom told me." It was then that he immediately knew. She was talking about when she got shot in the chest and he ran for miles to get her to surgery after they were ambushed. 

Tom swore he wouldn't tell.

"I...I don't know," he told her. "I don't know why I didn't tell you. I was such a bloody wreck when you were in surgery. That was the worst eight hours of my life. Just promise me you won't put me through that tonight."

The memory was paining him. He really was a mess that night. He didn't leave at all. He was there for the surgery and didn't dare leave her side when she was recovering. When she started to wake up was when he got out. She couldn't know he was there. She couldn't know that he cared.

Seeing that scar on her chest every time they sleep together is just another painful reminder. "I won't," she told him. "I promise. Hey, I see something. Give me back to Tom." He quickly went over to Tom and handed him the radio, who asked Cassie, "What's happening? Over." 

She waited a moment, then said, "I see movement about nine clicks to your right. Do you see? Over." Tom and Ben both crouched down and jogged to the other edge of the building. They skillfully looked without being seen. 

There was movement, but it was too dark to tell if it was the infected or live humans. "I can't get a clear visual," he told her. "Let's be prepared just in case. Over." That's when he and Ben quietly told everyone to get into their positions. 

Ben got on top of the air conditioning until and got his rifle ready. He could see Cassie doing the same. They looked through their scopes where the unidentified objects would be walking into the few working street lamps.

Everyone was as quiet as a mouse for the next three minutes. Sweat was dripping down Ben's face, as his finger flexed to the trigger every time he thought he saw something appear. He eventually saw a shadow move into the light.

Two shadows. Now three, four, five--. "They're the infected," Cassie told them. "Let's keep a sharp eye on them. Over and--whoa, whoa, whoa!" Suddenly, they could hear gunshots and Ben watched through his scope as the infected went down one by one.

Suddenly, a group of men and young kids came charging through...with Gary right behind them. "Look in these buildings and find them!" He shouted. "This is it!" Ben could hear Cassie's hushed voice over the radio say, "Keep quiet and wait for my signal. Chris is going to toss a flare into their group and hopefully the infected will want to come out and play."

A sly smile crept up on Ben's lips. "That's my girl," he muttered to himself. He kept watching the group through his sniper scope, then once they got into the middle of the street, too far now from where they came in, Chris tossed a flare right in the middle of their group. 

Ben got his finger on the trigger and awaited his girlfriend's commands. 

He watched Gary observe the flare...then heard screams coming from all different directions. "No," he gasped. "No! It's a trap!" He picked up the flare to throw it somewhere else...but it was too late. The infected were already sprinting from the buildings, screaming and snarling as they did. 

"Shoot them! Shoot them!" Gary shouted. Gun fire started going off into the crowd of the infected. "Alright, boys," Cassie's voice said over the radio, "the infected are on our team tonight, so let's help them out. Fire!" 

Ben pulled back his finger against the trigger and watched as a bullet flew right into a man's leg. An infected got him the moment he fell to the ground. Shots were coming left and right from each building and Gary looked up in bewilderment. 

"It's an ambush," he said to himself. He picked up his radio and quickly called, "Sean, do not follow the group! Do you hear me?! Do not follow--." He practically dropped the radio when he heard screams coming from it. 

He looked up and saw Sean down the street...getting torn to pieces by the infected. 

Ben saw this from his scope and decided not to take pity on Sean. He thought of shooting him in the head for a moment, but why would he give him that curtesy? So, he continued to shoot everyone else. "Try not to shoot the kids!" He commanded to everyone on his roof. 

"If they are getting attacked by the infected, you end it quick, but do not shoot the kids!" He went back to his task, but then started shooting away all of the infected from the scared as all hell kids. They've never seen the infected before, he could tell. 

He then saw someone running off down the street where he came in, but lost him to the building before he could shoot him. He took the radio from Tom's pocket and shouted, "Cassie, eleven o'clock!" Suddenly, he heard a gunshot, then Cassie's voice say, "Got 'em."

He laughed and shook his head. Goddamn he loved her. He continued to shoot, then saw a group of the kids being cornered by the infected. "Son of a bitch," he muttered, before making the quick decision to get up from his position and go to the very edge of the building. 

"Get up here!" He shouted at the kids. They all looked up at him with pure fear in their eyes. "Get up here now!" Some of them had to push each other to get the senses to just go. They all ran towards the building, but some didn't make it. 

Behind him, Tom was watching this. He could also see Cassie across the way, looking at him in worry. This really pissed him off and caused him to squeeze his gun a little too hard...including the trigger. His gun went off, catching him off guard.

He looked around to see where it could have gone, but then suddenly heard Ben scream, "Cassie! No!"