Zombie Hour (sequel to zombie game)

chapter 18

18

The sounds of gunfire filled the air.

Joe and his company scattered to different parts of the room. Joe raised the machine gun and pulled the trigger, spraying three of the guards with bullets, killing two of them. Linda had leaped from where she had been standing. He stabbed three guards in the neck with her sword, blood splashing onto the floor. Carl lashed his foot out, taking a guard in the stomach, and then he broke the guards neck, before whipping around and firing the pistol, shooting another guard. Tom sat pinned under the stairs, watching as more guards advanced upon him.

Joe crouched behind a crate, the sound of gunfire deafening, bullets tracing holes up the sturdy, wooden crate. He whipped around and fired, taking three guards in the chest. He saw another guard run up to him, but he just swung the gun like a club, and with a wet crunch, he crushed the guard's skull. Joe grabbed another clip from the dead guard, ejected the empty clip from his gun, and rammed the second one home, firing again. Bullets tore through a guards stomach, and Joe watched, sickened, as guts plopped onto the floor and intestines wriggled out of the body like snakes. He moved from the crate and jumped, firing, before a wall. He took out another guy, the bullets causing the guy's head to explode in a mix of blood and brains. Joe ejected the clip and checked it. It was nearly empty. Shit.

He was going to empty the last of the clip into a group of guys when something clattered to the ground right beside him. He knew exactly what it was; a grenade. He jumped backward just in behind. A fireball ripped through the floor, inches from where Joe had been. The explosion was so powerful it shook the CDC building. Joe jumped behind more cover. He whipped around and fired small, sustained burst, none of which hit any of the targets. He ducked back behind another crate, ejected the clip and threw the useless thing aside. He wished he still had his weapons—his rifle—his pistol—

He saw Carl from where he was crouching. Carl was running toward the enemy, firing his gun, killing a couple of men, before he ran out of ammo as well. Joe heard screaming and whipped around, seeing Linda jumping around, killing more guys, her sword and her face drenched in the blood of the enemies. She jumped down on one, slicing his head clean off, and stabbed another man through the heart, a geyser of blood squirting from his chest. She heard a click of a gun and she whipped around, cutting this man in the stomach, causing guts to squirt onto the floor and intestines to ooze from the ragged, bloody hole in his stomach. He fell forward, catching his guts, before dying. She was going to kill a couple of more men when she was grabbed from behind by Michael.

“No!” Joe shouted. He raced from his cover and he slashed the gun as if it were a sword, the force large enough that when it slammed into a guard, his face was obliterated in a mask of blood and bone. He swung the gun again and his time hit Michael in the face. Michael dropped Linda and charged at Joe, determined to kill him. Joe jumped to the right and slammed his foot into Michael's stomach. He nearly fell to the floor. Joe whipped around. Michael had a feral snarl stretched upon his face and he howled with rage like an animal would and he charged. Joe nearly jumped from the horrendous blow, but he was slammed in his legs and sent sprawling.

“You come in here! Kill my people! You son of a bitch!” screamed Michael.

“Where is Brian?!” Joe demanded.

“Over there, with John,” pointed Michael. “You will never get him. He will fucking die like the rest of you.” Michael took out a .357 magnum and aimed it at Joe's head. “And you are the first person who is going to...” A second explosion, even stronger than the first, shook the CDC building. The sounds of gunfire had somewhat faded into the distance. But they were still there. Joe rolled to the right just as Michael pulled the trigger. The crack was loud. Michael raised the pistol and fired. Joe dived to the left, watching the wall explode with a thick layer of plaster dust as the bullet hit. Two shell casings fell to the floor. He pulled the trigger again and again, missing each time, blinded by rage. Joe jumped behind a desk. Another bullet slammed into the desk, causing it to move a tiny little bit. Joe was pinned down behind the desk, unable to move. He had no more ammo. He was afraid right now.