Chapter 5: New friends, New enemies

The scene before us was devastating as soon as the soldiers left us, with the hoard and eventually killed off the entrance to prevent us from dying. However something from the hoard destroyed that entrance in one fell swoop... Was it simply a c4 that didn't explode on time, no... The soldiers should be experts, nothing should be a mistake even if they are humans. Everyone around me could only stare at the scene in surprise, fright, and disappointment. We saw the hoard flooding back in as if the gates of hell once again opened to this last place we have. The government dogs left us here to die and we managed to live by what we currently have... Only for them to destroy it again. Shad our leader rose his weapon above his head as he stood on top of a box, he yelled one word.

"Fire!!!"

Snapping everyone back into reality, the zombies once again came. The runners inched closer to our gates as the fodder in the back with great numbers slowly came forward at us. I grabbed a m16 and started to aim down the sights, having short quick bursts of fire. I specifically aimed towards the back at the Fodders occasionally taking out a couple of Pack leaders the green dead corpses that came from nowhere.

I have to fight, I can't abandon the people and the life that I just scraped off of this hellish world. I used to be a simple janitor before this outbreak began, I had a family of three... My wife, and two daughters who were barely 10. Only to be killed off by the outbreak, they just fell down onto the ground, dying against this strange disease. I tried buying all the medicines with my money, but the rich of this city took the ones before me. I could only watch them die... my wife looked at me with pain, she knew I tried my best.

The people before me had taken me in after the loss of my family, they helped me lose that thought for a moment... And now the outbreak has once again come to try and take away from me, I must fight for the peace that I obtained within this hellish world. That is before I realized something. One of my friends, Mark quickly ran towards me shaking me off the scope. I turned to look at his feared daze and he looked at me.

" Andrew Run!"

" What?"

Mark turned me over to the side and pointed towards a bulging thing that was sitting in the back. Mark drew his head over to me, whispering to my ears.

"Andrew... Run! We won't be able to hold this place. I say we should run!"

I looked around me, everyone was still shooting, oblivious to the thing in the back of the hoard. I looked at Mark's weapon, it was also an m14 scoped. We were the only ones that had the scopes to see the monstrosity beyond the hoard. Mark grabbed me by the shoulders and dragged me over to the stairs. He turned to yell out.

"Out of mags!"

Mark went downstairs and I was dragged along, I saw my fellow friends waiting underneath near the ammo boxes grabbing ammunition. Steve, Chloe, Rebecca, and tony was there pushing down ammunition into their bags. They all looked at me with a short glance and started packing again.

" Andrew, I grabbed everyone that was in our group. I've even grabbed you seeing how we became friends within the couple of weeks we spent together. We have to leave for our survival, I already told everyone to pack up and run before we all die together in this hellish place. I've decided that we would follow the extraction points that was stated on the radios... If we make it out alive, I'll treat ya dinner." Mark smiled

"The radio? How are you sure that we'll make it? And what about Shad?"

Mark's smile disappeared.

"I like Shad but not enough to help protect this place against that hulking mess. So you in or not?" Mark asked once again.

"....." Andrew couldn't answer

"Fine, here's a map... If you survive this ordeal you know where to find us and.... Maybe catch up." Said Mark

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Before they could part ways the people at the door yelled, "The zombies are at the gate, reinforce it! Andrew ran towards the door and peeked through the cracks passed the zombies and at the hulking being. It slowly moved its feet, almost like a bull, he could see that the front of its body was full of bullet holes, but no wound. The flesh merged with metal, a helicopter blade was attached to its back. The face of the monstrosity was covered in darkness, the eyes spread fear upon him. He immediately jumped back, he heard the roar the thumps, everything was silenced except the thumb.

He looked at everyone around him, they were only focused on the zombies, none of them faltered or was shaken by the monstrosity behind the zombies. They were oblivious to it, Andrew got up and ran towards the exit, grabbing his pack alongside it. Once he exited out this door,  the ones that saw him will brand him a coward, a failure. He knew once he left this door the people will begin to lose faith in their battle, however in his heart that if he didn't leave that monstrosity would come eventually only to crush that small hope that the people had. He didn't dare yell out the monster to the people, he needed to sacrifice them for his own survival. If they all ran, then all of them would die, with no one to defend.

As he reached the door, a hand grabbed his shoulder quickly bringing his face to look at him. It was Shad, he looked at him with worry.

"Andrew, why aren't you helping us... Are you leaving us?"

Andrew's mind traveled, he couldn't spill the news. If he did... Maybe

" Shad, I have to leave... this is a losing battle... We'll eventually get overrunned."

"Even if you run, I'll continue fighting. Too many times have I lost people... Too many times have we retreated as others died for us. It stops here... End our suffering against these abominations it's time for us to fight back! If we retreat again, I'm afraid our community won't survive another day... the stalkers out there are going to kill us one by one,. we won't last in the dark."

Andrew's mind traveled...

"Shad... Trust me... This is a losing battle." Andrew gave Shad a hug, leaning his head towards Shads ear whispering the shattering news.

"If you look at the back of the hoard.... You'll understand" Andrew shoved a binoculars to Shad and ran out the door, leaving Shad next to the ammunition box. The dozen of people sitting there resupplying themselves. Shad turned around and went to the windows where ten people shot through the cracks at the zombies. He looked into the binoculars and found that target, Shads eyes turned, his face paled. However he continued to stand there, he closed his eyes silently, slowly breathing in and out. His eyes opened again, he yelled out something to the people.

"Everyone, we fight together we die together all those who does not want to die here. Leave! I shall fight here, I shall stand my grounds here. I will protect everything and everyone i loved dearly." Shad rose his weapon above into the air once again, the people cheered.

Shad grabbed the explosives out of the corners of the kitchen, he handed them out to several people. His face was grim, he went upstairs seeing the moonlight once again. He looked at the numerous of corpses moving slowly towards him.

"First wave is done huh..." A roar sounded again, the thumps grew louder. The corpses came flying from the alleyway. A large beast came out from hiding crushing and ramming into all the zombies that slowly walked in front of him. The beast was as big as a simple store, it charged at his building, the same height as the beast. Shad grabbed his ak 47 out and shot at the monstrosity, his hand flailing out signaling his people to fire. Everyone came out front shooting frantically at the beast who continued to charge through the crowds, destroying the entrails and the bodies of the dead that walked in front of it. The beast jumped up into the air blocking out the moon, everyone in the building only stared at the monster as they shot. They knew it was their end, they knew the arms of the monster will bring upon their death. They knew, some cried, some ran, others stood in fright, only Shad stood proudly against the beast as his hand held onto a switch. The beast fell upon the building.