Lincoln isle Page 6
Chapter 5
Ordinarily a Walker can climb the side of a building, but this one, with two damaged legs, tried, then slipped back, cracking the undercarriage. I think I blacked out for a moment because I remember my head killing me and Brent’s voice calling for me.
“I’m ok, just a bit banged up. Tell Flaris I broke his Walker.”
“He knows. Sarge looked at him, told him he was going for a long piss and never looked back. The other Walker is fifteen minutes out. Dig in and hang on.”
Good old Sarge. Any wonder I respected the hell out of the guy? I checked the girl, she woke up, holding her arm but shook me off when I unstrapped her. Then I turned to the man, struggling in the straps. I knew what happened and put a round in his head at close range, burning away most of the face at that range. But not before I saw the blood on his mouth.
I holstered the pistol, then took her rifle as she climbed down, still alive. Then I asked, “When did that happen?”
“I think he died just before those things attacked.” She saw me looking and added, “I banged my arm on something. I’ll be ok.”
I climbed up to remove the gat but saw the belt empty. I reached in and touched the trigger with my boot and the belts cycled, the barrels spun and the hammers rotated, but nothing else. “Must have run out of ammo when the Screamers jumped us. Let’s move to that overhang. More protection.”
She limped off while I grabbed the survival kit then I shot the Scorpion that was about to grab her. A good sign. “Honduran Man-Killer. They haunt the Mayan ruins. Probably where the legends of the curses came from.” It was 18” long in body, another 18” of tail and maybe a foot of claw. I kicked it down the slope before the cook asked me to bring it in for dinner. She didn’t even scream. Shock I hoped.
I waited for her to settle in then pointed my pistol at her head and asked, “Where did he bite you?”
She stared back, a deer in the headlights, and tried to make an excuse, “I don’t know, he didn’t. I just hurt myself.”
“I should kill you now but one more chance, where!”
She pulled her sleeve up to reveal my bandana, wrapped around her bicep. “It happened when those .. Screamers attacked. I fall against him and… Please don’t kill me! I don’t want to die. Please, I just want to go home. I, I have a mother who loves me. Please… please don’t…”
“Oh be quiet. Let me see the wound.”
She removed the bandage, begging all the time. There was a nice chunk missing from her bicep and the edges were already necrotic. I’m no expert but from the amount of time it took for the other guy to die and reanimate, I figured we had a couple hours at the most. “Sit over there. Here,” I handed her the water which she took, started to drink, then stopped before she took the first sip.
“I’m not thirsty.” A very bad sign. Zombies in the last stages have a terrific appetite like they are starving, but they can’t eat without vomiting. I guess that is the last sensation they feel before they die which explains why they are driven to eat people when they reanimate.
I sat some distance away, my handgun still at the ready and watched her and the sun set behind her.
“I’m going to die, aren’t I?”
“Maybe. I don’t know yet. At least the Worms and the Screamers can’t get to us up here.”
She laughed, on the edge of hysteria. “Just giant Spiders and Scorpions and God knows what else!” A pause, she looked at the sunset, “I don’t want to come back.”
“You won’t. You won’t even feel it.” She nodded, not looking at me.
Rocks started to fall from above, she jumped, then whispered, “What else. fuck it! Do it now, please.”
I raised the pulse pistol, then heard, “What the hell did you do to my Walker!”
We both looked up as the second Walker climbed down. Then a Zed-Medic climbed out and asked, “Let me look at that.” He glanced at the bite, then pulled a hypo and didn’t even ask before he jabbed her. “This will stop the infection. You’ll need a booster in the morning. But for now, let me clean that wound.”
“Was it worth it?” Flaris asked.
“Got one out. Sometimes that’s all you can do.”
“Yeah.” He was looking at the girl. “Sometimes. Sarge wants you on-line in an hour.”
“I’ll be there. Take care of her for me until she is sent home.”
“Will do.”
END
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