Zombie apocalypse: chapter 4
this one took longer than the other chapters, but it's finally done :) hope everyone enjoys it.
Chapter 4: Betrayal
The apocalypse, day two 5:46 a.m. Eastern Time
The city below looked like the depths of Hades from the passenger seat of the twin-star AS355 helicopter. All Ryan could see from his seat was smoke and burning buildings. The military had tried to turn the twin engine civilian helicopter around, but Ryan had identified himself and was grudgingly admitted past the quarantine zone. He was amazed that something as small as a viral infection (assuming the military had told him the truth) could cause this much damage to such a large city. Ryan had also been informed that the remaining residents of the city would have to be exterminated due to the chance of the infection spreading to other areas. He had been appalled when he was told this, and had immediately started making arrangements with his pharmaceutical company to come up with an anti-virus. Unfortunately this would require a sample, and with time being of the essence he had ordered his pilot to take the chopper down. The pilot, Bernard, was a retired paratrooper and had been nervous since they had received the distress calls over two hours ago, and being told to land in what might be a warzone in a matter of hours didn't help his demeanor. Ryan didn't like landing in a burning city any more than Bernard did, but he needed to get that sample.
***
5:55 a.m.
Sylvr gathered up his equipment, as his ammo supplies were running low. He had been taking well placed shots at any undead he could hit, saving more than one survivor being attacked by zombies. Sylvr was relatively standard in appearance for a fox. At 5'9, he wasn't the tallest fur on the block, but he could hold his own in a fight. the only distinguishing features he had was his coloration, instead of his chest and abdomen being completely white, he had a few black splotches in those areas. He had grown up on a farm a few miles outside the city, and just as karma would have it, he came into the city the day of the apocalypse. His first encounter with the zombies had been almost laughable. When one of the zombies started messing with his truck, he had watched it for about a minute without being noticed. When the zombie started trying to get into his vehicle by running head-first into the passenger side door, Sylvr started laughing his ass off. Unfortunately, this got had gotten the creatures' attention, and the next thing Sylvr knew, he was fighting for his life against a snarling fur. After killing the crazed fur, Sylvr had grabbed the Barrett sniper rifle he kept in his truck and headed for high ground. At first it had been fun shooting at the zombies infesting the streets, but it soon became work trying to keep as many of the creatures off of the living as possible. As he was getting up, the door that he had used to get up to his sniper perch slammed open. Behind door#1 was one pissed off hunter and five other zombies. "Karma, if you're listening, I hate you" Sylvr muttered as he raised his Barrett.
***
6:00 a.m.
Henry was still worried that blood-tail would turn, but after nearly two hours of walking and hiding from the zombies with no real signs of danger from him, he was beginning to doubt that blood-tail was actually infected. Mark had already decided that blood-tail couldn't be infected, or he would've already mauled both of them. Mark had taken reds AR, as it was the only weapon besides the .50 caliber magnum that red carried that had ammo left.
Despite the fact that his companions had calmed down around him, red knew that he only had a short time before the virus took over. He didn't want to tell mark or Henry this, as he wasn't ready to get shot in the head by a friend and was hoping that he might find a cure before it was too late. He thought about the nightmare he had had, and then about the survivors at the diner he had promised to rescue. "Wow, this really sucks, I wonder what it's like to be one of those mindless freaks" red thought as they continued heading towards their destination. His thoughts were cut short once again by the sound of a helicopter. "Shit, isn't this how yesterday started" he mumbled as he began searching for the chopper. It didn't take long to pinpoint the choppers' location, and it took red even less time to realize that it was a civilian helicopter. He yelled to his companions, pointing out the helicopters location and indicating that he was going to go check it out. Mark nodded and went to get Henry, who had begun a search of a nearby McDonalds, hoping that he might find something to eat. "What is a civilian chopper doing in a zombie infested city?" red thought as he started running towards the helicopter. The drone of the helicopter drew more than blood-tail, however. As red looked around him, he saw several nearby zombies stop whatever they were doing and start shambling towards the landing helicopter. Something flew by blood-tail's head, causing him to trip. As he looked up, to his horror he saw the chopper being swarmed by multiple winged creatures. "Great, as if hunters weren't bad enough, now these fuckers can fly" red mumbled as he pulled out his magnum and continued running towards the helicopter. Whoever was piloting the chopper was damn good, because even with all the extra unbalanced weight of the zombies on his craft, he still managed to keep it steady. Red thought that the helicopter might land safely, but one of the flying zombies managed to break the cockpits' glass, and the chopper immediately plummeted to the ground as the pilot lost control. He increased his pace to a run, hoping that the crash that was about to occur wouldn't kill everyone onboard the chopper. Red almost ran headfirst into another fur coming out of an alley at a fast sprint. Both blood-tail and this new fur had their guns pointed at the other in less than a second. Red sized this new fur up, a male ocelot that was about the same height he was. Neither of the two seemed willing to lower their weapons, both not wanting to take a chance that the other might be an enemy. The other fur was the first to speak, "nice magnum". Red was about to answer when the sound of the helicopter crashing reached his ears. He decided to take his chances and took off at a run, leaving the other fur standing and wondering what the fuck just happened.
***
6:23 a.m.
Ryan knew that even a pilot as skilled as Bernard couldn't hold the twin-star up for much longer. He had pulled out a TDI Kriss super V that he kept under the rear passenger seat for emergencies and started firing at the creatures on the helicopter windows. The .45 caliber bullets had punched clean though the creatures on the windows, but Ryan only managed to kill a few before Bernard lost control. The twin-star plummeted like a rock, but luckily they were only about thirty feet off the ground. Even at such a low altitude, when the helicopter came in contact with the ground, the impact almost knocked Ryan unconscious. His vision blurred as he struggled to get his safety belt off after the crash, knowing that he was dead if he didn't get away from the vehicle fast. Bernard was trying to keep one of the creatures away from his face, but the thing was strong. Ryan aimed and shot the creature off of Bernard, giving him the chance to get out of the pilots seat and out of the chopper. After Bernard got out, he quickly helped Ryan open his door, which had been slightly jammed, but their combined effort was enough to open it. Ryan was still a bit groggy as Bernard pulled him away from the helicopter, but he was alert enough to notice a lone figure running towards him. Bernard, ever the loyal bodyguard and friend, took point, pulling out a desert eagle and getting ready for the worst. As the figure got closer, Ryan saw that he was a dragon, and he hoped that he could get some info on what was happening in the city. Bernard however, was wary of this new dragon, and he showed his lack of trust by pointing his desert eagle at the stranger, who upon seeing that now had a gun pointed at him, stopped in his tracks.
***
Red, upon seeing that two furs had survived the crash, had increased his pace even more, but upon getting within fifty feet of the survivors, he spotted a gun aimed at his chest and stopped cold. One of the survivors, a large wolf who, because of his stance and posture, red assumed had a military background. The other, a tiger, at least red thought it was a tiger (he had never seen a green tiger before) was even taller than the wolf with the gun. Red guessed that the tiger was at least 6'5, and most likely a civilian but he couldn't be sure. All the more aware of the gun pointed at his chest, red holstered his magnum and hoped that the wolf wouldn't shoot. He normally would never lower his weapon when threatened, but he didn't want to get into a firefight with another survivor.
***
Bernard, upon seeing the dragon lower his magnum, waited another few seconds and then put his desert eagle away. Ryan started the conversation, firing off questions and getting answers as fast as he asked a question. Unfortunately he didn't have time to ask all the questions on his mind as he saw several other furs shambling towards them. The dragon, who called himself blood-tail, pulled his magnum out with a speed that made Ryan blink. The action caused Bernard to go for his weapon, thinking that blood-tail was going to try to shoot them, but instead of aiming the gun at them, blood-tail started firing at the furs that were heading towards them. "what the hell are you doing" Ryan and Bernard yelled this at the same time, both of them wondering why blood-tail was shooting at civilians until they looked closer at the "civilians" all of which looked diseased, appearing as if they had rabies. Bernard hoped that he was doing the right thing as he started firing at the gathering hoard of furs, and after another moment of hesitation, Ryan followed suit with his SMG.
***
6:35 a.m.
Red knew that he didn't have enough ammo to deal with all these zombies, so after blowing the head of another zombie that was getting a little too close, he yelled to the Ryan and Bernard to follow him. The ocelot he had almost run into earlier had started walking towards them, taking a few well placed shots at any zombies that got too close. "Good, one more survivor that can handle a gun" red thought as he continued running. Red hadn't seen mark or Henry since he had left to check out the chopper, and he was starting to worry that they may have gotten into trouble. Even if they had gotten into the meat grinder, there was nothing he could do at the moment, so he continued running in the opposite direction of the hoard that had gathered. Ryan and Bernard were following close behind, taking the occasional pot-shot at any zombies in their path. Red decided to head for the McDonalds that mark had mentioned, hopping that his companions had made it to safety. The ocelot caught up to red and fell in with the small group, deciding that it would be safer in a group than alone. "Lovely day for a morning run, don't you think" despite the graveness of the situation, red couldn't help but chuckle at the ocelots' comment as he shot another zombie. The group finally reached the McDonalds and almost busted down the door in their haste to get in. it took a few seconds to barricade the door, and once that was done everyone sat down to rest, sighing in relief. Red noticed that all the windows were boarded up, and his hopes flared that he might find a few more survivors. He started searching the building, but didn't find anyone at first. Red was drawn by a noise coming from the bathroom and promptly went to check it out. Opening the door slowly, he found Henry huddled in a corner, sobbing quietly. Red dropped his magnum and went over to Henry, knowing what he was going to hear. Red still asked the question, even though he knew the answer, "where's mark". Henry broke down completely; everything he had seen in the past two days was too much for him to hold in as he began sobbing uncontrollably. "Dead, he saved my life" Henry managed to say between sobs. Red had never had a brother, and it might have been the apocalypse, but he had felt a brotherly bond with Henry as soon as he had seen him at the diner. Seeing Henry like this started to pull at the few weak emotional strings red had exposed, and he was about to lose his composure when Bernard yelled for him. He almost ignored the call until several gunshots sounded followed by the sound of splintering wood. "Stay here" red said softly as he stood up and walked out of the bathroom. Red was almost glad to head back to the action, as he didn't like the emotional stuff. He thought about everything that had happened in the last two days and how likely it was that they'd all be dead before nightfall. Not the most reassuring thoughts, but they allowed red to regain the uncaring detachment he preferred to use in public. Getting back into the main room, things were worse than he could have possibly imagined. The McDonalds was completely surrounded by zombies, and not just the dumb ones, there were at least fifteen hunters in the group (at least those were all he could see though the viewpoints in the windows). Bernard was arguing with the ocelot in a corner, and Ryan was standing by one of the boarded windows looking though a small hole. Red walked up to him, "what are our chances of surviving this" he asked rhetorically. Ryan answered after looking though the window once more "I'd say with the weapons we have...we've got less of a chance than a snowball in hell". "I was afraid of that" red said as he looked out one of the windows again. The noise suddenly stopped as the drone of engines was heard, and everyone in the room started looking out the windows, trying to find out where the noise was coming from. Bernard was the first to spot the Blackhawk helicopters "looks like the Calvary's here" Bernard yelled. The tension that had been in the room faded almost immediately upon hearing this, and everyone in the room were overjoyed when they heard the sound of the helicopters' machine guns mowing down the zombies outside. "Now that's what I call firepower" Bernard shouted as he watched the zombies getting shot, a few even exploding from the rounds tearing into them. Red went to go get Henry and tell him the good news. He found Henry still in the same corner he had been in, but calmed down slightly and rocking back and forth. Red was still worried about the young wolf, but they could discuss what had happened once they were safe. "Come on, help just arrived" Henry looked up, and red could tell he was in shock. He helped Henry up and led him out towards the main room where everyone was watching the show. As the last of the zombies fell to the combined assault of the five Blackhawks, Bernard unbarred the door and walked outside, followed by everyone else. "I never did get your name" red said to the ocelot walking beside him. "I'm Joseph, Joseph swift" the ocelot replied, smiling. "Well, Joseph, it was a pleasure killing zombies with you on this fine day" red said as they walked out of the building, getting a stifled laugh from swift. Things looked good, red thought as they continued towards the helicopters, which were now landing. The mood was shattered by one of the soldiers, and then another pointing their rifles at the group. Red looked down at his chest, noticing several bright green dots aimed at his heart. "Shit" red muttered as noticed that everyone in his group had rifles with laser sights aimed at them. Bernard noticed too, and continued forward "what the hell is going on, lower your weapons or I'll do it. We're not infec..." his words were cut short as one of the soldiers fired, startling everyone in the group. Red thought that the soldier had just fired warning shots, until Bernard clutched his chest and toppled to the ground. No one moved after that, all of them were too shocked to even blink. Red spotted someone getting out of one of the Blackhawks, his blood boiled when he recognized Joe Higgins. "You bastard, what the fuck is wrong with you" red spat as Higgins walked up to him. "Now, now, not everyone can survive this little infestation, besides; we don't need any of these other survivors to tell the world what's happened in this city". "What about the survivors back at the diner?" red asked. "They were an expectable loss" Higgins sneered. "Fuck you" this was said by both red and swift. Higgins looked at swift, "I don't recall asking you" he said as he pulled out a glock 9mm pistol and shot swift in the leg. "You fucking bastard" red screamed as he charged Higgins. Blood-tail felt one bullet hit him, then another, but all he wanted was revenge. He took three more rounds to the chest before going down. As darkness enveloped him, the only thing that went though his mind was "I failed them all"
***
7:10 a.m.
Sylvr watched the scene though his scope, taking in everything. The Blackhawks had been an unexpected welcome, until they had started firing on the group of survivors that had walked out of the McDonalds. He continued watching as the marines loaded up the two bodies and herded the rest of the survivors into the waiting Blackhawks. The group of helicopters quickly took off and headed towards the city limits, but instead of flying out of the city, they landed in a park about a mile away. Sylvr noticed that the area that the Blackhawks had flown to was clear of smoke and the glow of fires, and he was surprised that he hadn't noticed this area sooner. Packing up his rifle again, he headed for the nearest exit. "This is going to be a long day" he thought.
upon request of one of those who have been reading and commenting since chapter one, i added one of Adairs' characters, joseph swift, to the apocalypse. joseph was made by Adair and belongs to him.
i hope everyone enjoyed the story, and for those who have contributed characters (zelosh, sylvr, and adair),
thank you. ^.=.^