The thunderous blast rolled across the entire compound tearing up the ground, smashing cover, wiping out everything in its path. The shockwave slammed into Richard. Gasping for air, he forced himself back to his feet and started climbing down from the roof.
Reaching his armory, he tossed the rifle aside and lifted the heavy M249. With the weapon braced against his body, he stepped outside. Everything around him was drowning in fire and smoke. He tried to see if anyone had survived the slaughter.
"I hope you're all dead," the old man rasped.
The smoke began to thin. He spotted a silhouette and immediately swung the machine gun, squeezing the trigger/
Pain exploded through him. He dropped the weapon as agony tore through his body. The old wound in his shoulder flared up viciously; even the painkillers had stopped working. Clutching it, he bent down toward the machine gun anyway. He just needed to buy Rebecca more time. As much as he could.
Then another shot rang out.
The first hit his left leg. The second shattered his right.
Richard collapsed to the ground.
Out of the smoke stepped Joseph Seed. He walked slowly, bare-chested, his skin covered in soot and ash, as if he himself had risen from the fire.
"All of this bloodshed could have been avoided today," Joseph said calmly. Then he looked down at the old man. "But you in your foolish pride and ignorance brought this upon yourselves."He spread his arms slightly. "I have endured the Lord's trial. And from this day forward, we will only grow stronger."
He turned to his followers.
"Collect all the weapons. Bind his wounds. He must live to see the hour of the Sign."
The cultists began moving into the warehouse. Richard groaned dully, blood pouring from his shattered legs. He wheezed curses at them until one of them stuffed something into his mouth to silence him. Then they roughly threw him into a vehicle and drove him off toward their camp.
********************
I was running flat out when I spotted the cultists' convoy. I hoped I could make it in time but I knew the chances were almost nonexistent. Reaching my car, I floored the gas and pushed it as hard as it would go.
I was too late.
Flames were already rising above the old man's house.
At the last moment, I saw the vehicles moving and swerved hard, plunging into the forest. Jumping out of the car with my weapon in hand, I watched the convoy disappear into the distance packed with cultists.
Had they finished the job?
"How many of them were there…?" I whispered in horror.
This wasn't a small group. The old man wouldn't have gone down without a fight which meant there had been far more of them than I'd hoped.
Even knowing I was probably too late, I pushed on. I drove past the barricade littered with cultist bodies and vehicles riddled with bullet holes. Right by the warehouse gates lay an overturned tractor-trailer. There was almost nothing left of it just twisted metal and a black crater where it had hit.
I stopped the car and continued on foot.
A van was parked tight against the warehouse gates, blocking the entrance. Several cultists were inside, hauling out weapons. They were relaxed, focused on their work confident the fight was over.
"No… no, get the hell away from her, you bastards…"
They dragged Rebecca out of the warehouse. Two of them held her by the arms, but she fought back, kicking, refusing to submit.
"You fucking bitch, I'm sick of you," one of them snarled and knocked her to the ground.
Another struck her in the face several times. After that, she didn't get back up.
I sprinted to one of the vehicles and pulled out grenades.
Hold on. I'll figure this out.
"You're about to feel all the suffering our brothers and sisters endured," one of the cultists sneered. "Then we'll brand you."
He pulled out a metal rod. Two letters were carved into its end. He stepped toward the fire and held it in the flames, letting it heat up.
I crept up behind a cultist standing farther away and drove my knife into his throat. Clamping a hand over his mouth, I dragged the body aside and let it drop.
Then I slipped inside the building.
I quickly counted the men inside and with bitter regret, pulled the pin.
The grenade landed right in the center. Most likely, the weapons I'd come here for would go up with them.
"What's that?" one of them said, turning.
His eyes went wide with terror.
"A grenade."
Boom
I was already outside.
I opened fire while running to Rebecca, helping her to her feet.
"Here," I said, handing her a pistol.
"Thank you," she replied, grabbing it and immediately firing at the cultists.
"You're all gonna die!" they screamed.
Their people began pouring in from all sides. The fight fell apart then snapped back together just as fast. The cultists took cover, grabbed weapons, and opened heavy fire. They pinned us down, keeping us from breaking out of cover.
I fired wildly, only lifting the rifle for brief moments buying seconds at best desperately trying to figure out a way out.
"Bitch who the hell was that?"
The machine gunner's fire suddenly stopped. Someone had attacked them. The moment the suppressing fire died out, I moved clean, precise shots, dropping them one by one. Whoever had hit them from behind and pinned them down, I didn't see right away.
When the fighting finally died and not a single enemy remained, I walked up to Joel.
"Didn't think you'd help us," I said.
"I didn't have a choice," he replied. "They took Tommy. I couldn't get him back without you. I came here looking for help and then I saw all this."
I glanced at the weapons van. I could've taken it, driven off, finished what I'd come here to do. But Joel mattered. Searching all over Boston for Ellie had been nearly impossible especially knowing the Fireflies were probably keeping tabs on her. She'd been tied to them somehow even before anyone knew she was immune. I had no idea where she was supposed to be before all of that began.
"They took Mr. Howard too," Rebecca said.
"Brian?" I asked.
"I managed to hide him," Rebecca replied.
"We need to fuel up the APC," I said.
After wrestling with barrels and jerry cans, I poured the whole volatile mix into the tank. Then I climbed into the mechanic's seat. I looked around, flipped the master switch, engaged the pre-start system, and forcing down the nerves turned the ignition.
Thunk. Thun. Thun.
The starter growled. The first puff of smoke came out of the exhaust but the engine didn't catch. I stopped cranking and waited.
Maybe it needed priming.
Digging through the internals, I found the manual fuel pump and worked it until there was nowhere left to push. I climbed back into the seat and turned the ignition again.
Thun-thun-thun-thun-tttttt
The engine spun faster and faster until a sharp bang cracked through the air and thick black smoke poured out behind us. Then again. And again. Until the engine finally roared to life.
The compartment filled with black smoke. Breathing got hard. We couldn't move yet the engine needed to warm up. And there was still one more problem: I barely knew how to handle a machine like this.
"Joel, you know how to drive something like this?" I asked.
"No," he said. "But I've driven tractors and trucks."
"Good enough. Get in. I'll handle the gun."
Climbing into the gunner's position, I checked the ammo. Full load. We were going to need everything we could take.
"You should get out of here. It's not safe anymore," I said.
"I know," Rebecca replied. "We'll take their van, grab whatever we can, and follow you."
"Watch my dog for me," I said, calling him over and handing him to her.
I tossed my gear and weapons into the APC and sealed the doors.
"No time to waste," Joel said. "They could kill Tommy any minute now."
He stomped the pedal and slammed it into gear. The heavy beast lurched forward and began to pick up speed.
Too bad FEDRA couldn't clear infected zones with machines like this. Judging by the fuel consumption, they were probably just running out of gas. Tanks alone could burn up to seven hundred liters per hundred kilometers fuel stockpiles disappearing in no time. This vehicle used a bit less, sure but still far too much.
*************
Several infected wandered through the forest about a dozen of them. They twitched occasionally, unaware of anything around them, when a distant bang echoed through the trees. They grew restless. Then came more explosions, somewhere far off. The infected turned aggressive and sprinted at full speed toward the source of the noise.