He eyes my bleeding shoulder. “You look like shit.”
“Thanks,” I deadpan. “If you have everyone sorted here, you’re free to take down the guards. Just be aware that there are a lot of infected running around.”
He gives me a curt nod. “I’ll let everyone know.”
“Here.” I hand over the rifle I stole from the first watchtower. “Give this to someone who has military training and knows how to use it.”
He takes the rifle and ducks back into the warehouse.
With that part of the plan sorted, I grab Theo and drag him away from the door. I’m itching to go find Ollie and Alex and make sure they’re okay. “Lets go find the princess before she causes anymore trouble.”
“She really is a magnet for it,” Theo says with a chuckle as we round the warehouse and dive into the chaos of the camp.
Ain’t that the truth.
Chaos Reigns
Olivia
The first arrow Ilet loose finds its target and lodges itself into the skull of the zombie to my left. It drops to the ground like stone and I move onto my next target as Bean gallops toward the front gate.
As I near the gate, several guards from the camp race up the road. They skid to a halt and stare in horror at the battle raging between the living and the dead. One guard recovers from his shock, spots me, and takes aim with his shotgun. I wheel Bean around and barely dodge the shot, but the loud noise catches the attention of the zombies.
Most of the living have been turned, doubling the number of zombies. And they’re hungry for more. As one, over a dozen glowing predatory eyes turn to the guards seconds before they race toward them. The gate barely slows them down as they pour over it and dive at the guards.
More screams, shouts and gunshots fill the cold night air as the dead find their targets and attack. Bones crack, limbs are ripped from bodies and skulls explode into bloody confetti. The moon illuminates thehorrifying sight, a silent witness to the carnage. In the blink of an eye, the zombies decimate the number of guards and add more to their ranks.
Shit. If this keeps happening, we’re going to have a horde on our hands.
I turn Bean back around and fire more arrows at the zombies struggling with the gate. Alex, who’s just joined the party with Harlow, quickly dispatches the ones I miss.
He pauses once the zombies at the gate are dead and watches the horror show beyond the gate. “That’s going to be areally bigproblem.”
I wince. “Yeah. We should deal with it before it gets worse.” It really sucks being future Ollie sometimes.
While Alex sets about opening the gate, I hop off Bean and collect my arrows from the dead zombies. After cleaning and checking for damage, I shove them back into my quiver and remount as the gate swings open. Just in time for more guards to join the fray.
The added manpower turns the tide of the fight and whittles down the number of zombies until there’s only a few left. However, the guards took heavy damages and those that remain look worse for wear, panting and covered in blood and gore. Seeing this as our best chance to get rid of the remaining guards, I urge Bean into a gallop toward them.
Arrow after arrow flies from my bow as I use the open space on either side of the road to manoeuvre Bean. I block out the screams of agony from the guards as my arrows find their marks and focus on survival. I can freak out later once everyone is safe.
Alex joins the fight with his pistol, shooting anything that moves with devastating accuracy. Harlow stays by his side, barking and growling at anything that comes close to him. Even Ketchup has joined in, dive-bombing the guards to hinder their aim whenever they try to shoot.
It’s going so well I don’t notice the guard sneaking up on me until it’s too late.
He grabs my arm as I ride past, causing me to lose my balance and slide from the saddle. His body breaks my fall and there’s a slight flare of pain as my temple collides with his chin. Beneath me, the guard grunts and wheezes out a curse before an arm snakes around my neck and cuts off my air.
I gasp and struggle against him as panic surges inside me. But I can’t get the leverage to loosen his hold on my neck. Spots dance in my vision, my lungs scream for air and blood pounds in my ears. Everything feels so sluggish, my arms weighed down until I can barely lift them and my struggles become pitiful.
My hands drops and my palm brushes against something rounded and hard; the handle of my knife. The same knife Andy gave to me after telling me to use the correct weapon for the job. The memory flits across my mind and, before I know it, my hand wraps around the hilt of the blade. It takes serious effort to slide it from the sheathe as the edges of my vision darken.
I’m going to pass out any second if I don’t do something.
With my head swimming and my body screaming for air, I tighten my grip and slam the knife into the body below me. There’s a bellow behind me as the blade sinks into the side of my target and the arm around my neck loosens. Sweet, sweet air rushes into my lungs as I gulp in as much oxygen as I can.
“You fucking bitch!” the guard howls as I twist the knife still stuck in his side.
I yank the knife free of his body and slam it back into him. He shrieks in pain, his hold on me disappearing as he tries to snatch the knife fromme. I don’t let him. Instead, I roll off him with my bloody knife still clutched in my hand like a lifeline and see my attacker for the first time.
