And on it went. They carefully checked eachand every abandoned home, making certain no infected wereinside.
Lachlan held his sword at the ready.Veronica nodded at him and checked the next hut. She barely got onefoot inside before a powerful eater picked her up and threw herdown to the ground. Preparing to lunge at her, the thing hissed.She scrambled to her left side and raised her right foot, the sharpblade in her boot bottom bursting out.
Her quick reflexes might have saved her, butLachlan growled back at the thing and swung his sword before theeater could lunge. The infected’s head fell from its shoulders,hitting the ground with a thump.
“’Tis Cameron,” Ramsay gasped. “Look at hisplaid, his face.”
Veronica swallowed roughly as she regainedher footing and stood upright. It was wearing a black and blue kiltand, when Lachlan used his sword to roll the head on its side, shesaw too that it was Cameron.
“Jesus Christ above,” Lachlan muttered.
His first kill had to be one of his own men?Veronica winced, feeling sorry for him. At least her first kill hadbeen a stranger to her.
“We can worry about burning the bodieslater,” Veronica said. “We need—”
“Uh, sis…” Victor cut in.
“—To keep moving. What?”
“Look at what’s coming.”
Veronica squinted and finally saw whatVictor had already surmised. “Fuck. A horde,” she announced.
“I count mayhap seven,” Lachlan quickly shotback. “We needs must break apart.”
“No don’t.”
“We’ve no other way.”
There was one way, she knew. “Remember what‘fire in the hole’ means?” Veronica breathed out.
“Aye.” This from all three Scots.
She reached for a grenade, waiting to pullthe pin until the running horde drew nearer to their position.“Good because ‘fire in the hole!’” She pulled the pin and threw thegrenade as far as she possibly could. All five of their group dovefor the ground, covering their faces as body parts rained down allaround them.
It wasn’t enough. She’d killed four, woundedtwo, and one remained unscathed. She aimed her gun at the fastest,uninjured one and fired a shot. It fell to the ground, dead.Lachlan and Finn made quick work of the two wounded eaters,beheading them with their swords. Finn’s kill had been easier asthe eater he took down was missing a leg and hopping on one foot.It was Lachlan’s that had worried her for his kill was only missinghalf an arm. He’d still taken it down quickly and powerfully.
Veronica could hear the horses gallopingaway, neighing from fright as they did so. She didn’t espy anyeaters behind them so assumed the scare had been from the grenade’sdetonation. The party of five continued their mile long walk to theCampbell fortress, checking huts and killing the infected along theway. The bodies kept stacking up; clearly the Campbells hadsuffered great losses.
She saw another eater just ahead. She sighedwhen she espied its kilt colors, recognizing them as Gunn rightaway. What was once Douglass began running towards them at topspeed. His eerie, blue gaze settled on her, perhaps because she wasin the closest proximity to him. A second horde barreled out of theforest at the same time, rapidly converging on their group frombehind. Her heartbeat soared. Perspiration broke out on herforehead. They were trapped.
Lachlan ran toward Douglass with powerfulsteam, his teeth gritting as he jumped in the air and raised hissword. On a war cry, he beheaded his turned soldier in a singledownswing. Veronica swung around and faced the horde. They were tooclose for her to throw a grenade. Shit.
“Stay behind me, Victor!” she yelled,putting her machete in his hands.
He paled, but took the weapon. “Your lifeisn’t less important than mine!” he shouted back, charging aroundher. “I love you, sis!”
Veronica’s eyes widened as she realized herbrother had put himself between her and a quickly moving horde.“Victorrrrr!”she screamed.
Everything that came next moved in slowmotion and surreal swiftness at the same time. Finn and Ramsayraised their swords. Victor raised his small by comparison machete.She could hear Lachlan running back to the group on a roar, butdoubted he’d make it to them in time. There were nine eaterscharging them.Nine.
Veronica palmed a gun in each hand, tryingto get a clean shot, but couldn’t without putting a bullet throughone of the men. Victor warbled out a war cry of his own as hestabbed one of the infected through the eye and brain. A secondeater went to the ground and grabbed Victor by the leg.“Nooooo!”Veronica bellowed, diving for the snowy, muddyterrain as the eater opened his mouth to take a bite. She shot itbetween the eyes as its mouth prepared to clamp down, Victor movinghis leg just enough to stave it off.
Finn and Ramsay took down two eaters,killing both as they lunged at them. Lachlan jumped into the frayand beheaded two more on a growl with a single swing of his sword.At last having a clean shot, Veronica came up on her knees and tookout the remaining three, firing her guns in rapid succession.Victor bellowed, causing Veronica to pale. She watched in horror asher brother fell to the ground.
“Victor, no!” she cried out, putting downthe guns and crawling to his body. She hovered over him, herbreathing heavy, trying to see where the bullet had entered. Herbeloved brother was dead. She started crying as she ran her handsup and down his torso. Where was the fucking blood coming from?
“You shot me in the damned ass, sis,” Victorrasped. “It hurts like a son of a bitch.”
