“
Get the gun! Hurry! I ca
n’
t hold him
!”
Jarvis cried out before taking an elbow to the mouth.
Diving toward the weapon yet again, my fingers clenched the cold metal, and I staggered to my feet, feeling a momentary victory as I pointed it directly at Rodgers. He scowled, easing up the struggle.
“
Get u
p…
slowly
,”
I panted, holding the nine mil with both hands, praying that my aim was steadier than my innards.
Jarvis let go, and touched his hand to his mouth. Rodgers slowly pulled his feet under his body and started to stand. Suddenly, their faces went pale. There was
n’
t any time to react.
In that moment, I was knocked down from behind. It felt like
I’
d been hit by a freight train. The gun was knocked from my hands and slid right toward Rodger
s’
s feet. I flipped forward, feeling my face slide through that same piss puddle, before rolling around and looking up to see the Hulk looming above me. His eyes revealed death. They were filled with red, glossed over with a slight white film, and he was charging right toward Rodgers.
Lying just at ar
m’
s length was my hammer. Reaching over to grab it, I kept my eyes glued on Rodgers, who sidestepped the creature and turned with the weapon drawn. Firing a gun in a closed compartment like that was enough to make my ears bleed. Three bullets passed through the creatur
e’
s chest, while one other missed completely.
I heard Kyle screaming from the front as I pulled the hammer to my chest. With the gunfire ringing in my ears, I could
n’
t be sure what he was saying. The sun was completely down, so each shot illuminated the suddenly very tiny cabin with muzzle flash as the dark taste of metallic gunpowder caught in the back of my throat.
Steading itself, the creature now set its eyes on Rodgers and tore forward. More gunshots rang out, and I winced in horror as the creature landed on top of him. His screams echoed through the cabin as he struggled under the weight of the monster. Blood was pooling up beneath them, yet I stared, transfixed, as Rodgers tried with all of his might to keep the Hul
k’
s mouth from coming down on his flesh.
Fighting the overwhelming dizziness to get to my feet, I realized the forward motion of the helicopter had been replaced by a wild spin. Grabbing a bench, I started to stand when one final shot tore through the creatur
e’
s head, black bile fountaining up against one of the portholes.
“
John, get up here. W
e’
re going down
!”
Kyle frantically barked from the front. There was a sense of urgency in his voice, pulling me away from the fact that Rodgers was holding the gun.
Bracing myself against the wall, I made my way up to the cockpit. Jarvis was pinned down by the gravitational force, fighting with all his might to get his bearings.
“
Get seated. I need your help
!”
Kyle yelled.
The entire control panel was in disarray with multiple bullet holes, busted dials, and tangled wires that shot sparks into our faces as I forced myself into the seat.
“
Help hold the yoke on your side. Just pull up
!
”
It was too late.
My knuckles turned white as I pushed on the flashing instrument panel, bracing for impact. There was a sudden drop in my stomach as the helicopter took the final plunge. I think I was screaming, but it happened so quickly, I ca
n’
t really be sure. In the moment before we crashed, I remember seeing the beam from the headlight of the chopper, as it got smaller and smaller against the calm, flat water. I watched Kyl
e’
s entire body arch back as he pulled on the yoke in vain.
There was no stopping this.
Chapter 15
Tha
t’
s how it all began. And here we were, underneath God knows how many gallons of water with the dead floating around outside ready to rip the pruned flesh from our bones. We had a maniac in the rear of the cabin and another ready to chase us down even if we did manage to escape this waterlogged coffin.
The cabin light was starting to flicker out, and the thumps and scratches from above were getting louder, more amplified. The helicopter was flashing like a giant McDonald
s
’ sign to all creatures in the are
a…
and they were starving.
I noticed the backpack full of meds floating a few feet away from my ankles. I leaned over to pick it up and slung it around my shoulders, pulling the straps as tightly as they would fit over the body armor.
Glancing at the now upside-down clock on the instrument panel, I could see the flickering numbers telling me it was 5:57 pm. Exactly fifteen hours till Gordon would be at Avalo
n’
s gates.
The water level was knee deep and quickly rising. The rear of the helicopter was
n’
t sealed airtight. The water, once seeping in, was now gushing in. I could see the Hul
k’
s body bobbing in the rear of the cabin just beyond where Rodgers was crouched, ready to pounce.
“
Do
n’
t you do it, man. John. John. Please, man, do
n’
t do this. Ther
e’
s got to be another way
!
”
“
I don't think you have a fucking say in this, Rodgers
,”
Kyle shot back at him.
Kyle was up on his knees now, ready to stop any sort of advance from the backstabbing prick. I still had the gun held up to the glass. I knew the score. We could live here for a few minutes more, or die trying to get to the surface. Both options had my hands trembling, and Rodger
s
’ manic cries from behind had me second-guessing my actions. Was there another way?
I did what had to be done. We were not all getting out of that sunken tomb, and I knew it. In the end, when yo
u’
re sitting there at deat
h’
s door, one thing is crystal clear: we are the sum of all our actions. I could only hope that
I’
d done enough good to make up for what was about to come.
Releasing the clip from the nine mil, I saw that one bullet remained. Looking down at Jarvis, then out toward the creatures lurching toward us in the flickering headlamp, I had an epiphany. I knew what needed to happen.
We needed a distraction.
“
Step back, Kyle
,”
I said gravely. I turned back toward Rodgers, pushing the clip back into place.
Not one person in the helicopter questioned me. I could tell they all saw it in my face.
Kyle half-lifted his arms in the air as if I was going to do something to him, then slid carefully back toward Jarvis. Rodgers started to back up as I raised the gun toward him.
“
What are you doing? John? John
!”
It was a distant yell, and I only slightly heard it as my mind focused on what had to be done.
As if witnessing the event unfold more than being part of it, my words left my lips without any forethought
.“
Rodgers. Remember when we talked about who the good guys are? You asked the question: how would you ever know which team is the right team to play for
?
”
Stunned, he looked up at me. His face was barely visible in the dim lights. I heard the water slosh behind him as he continued to back up.
“
I do
n’
t really know if I understand good from bad anymore
.”
Taking a deep breath, I slid my finger to the trigger
.“
But I know one thing. You played for the wrong team
.
”
Even in the darkness, I saw his eyes go wide as I pulled the trigger. The bullet tore through his leg, and he dropped with a splash. I could
n’
t see the blood spilling into the water, but the liquid grew darker, even thicker, as it splattered in all directions.
My ears and eyes were burning in pain again. It took several moments to regain my senses. I momentarily made eye contact with Kyle. He did
n’
t say a word but watched me drop the weapon into the rising water and lift the hammer out of my belt.
The expression on his face was more surprise than anything else before he finally nodded. He knew what I was doing, and the nod was enough to reassure me that we did
n’
t have any other choice.
Pulling the hammer back, I placed my palm on the wall next to me and looked at Kyle and Jarvis one final time.
“
This is it
.”
I let slip through my teeth.
With a single moment of clarity, the last thing passing through my mind was a number. The number that separated me from protecting my son. 900 minutes.
A thump against the glass forced me to look forward. Outside, a creature had its face pressed against the windshield, gnawing at i
ts
smooth finish with a set of broken teeth. Grasping my fingers tightly around the base of the hammer, I took a few quick deep breaths before arching back, grunting and driving that instrument of death down. Despite the pressure from the water outside, the hammer smashed through the windshield and into the creatur
e’
s skull.
I did
n’
t hear even the tiniest bit of noise. All five senses pointed directly toward the million freezing pricks of cold as they showered across every inch of my skin.
At first, I thought I was blinded by the glass as it shattered inward. My entire body was catapulted back by the force of the water rushing in. For the briefest of moments, it felt like someone had hit the pause button, stopping time as I floated helplessly deep inside the cabin. Opening my eyes just long enough to see the light flickering against the multiple silhouettes of the dead outside, I was suddenly yanked out into the open water with the current.
I had no real control as I spun around, swishing through the long seaweed outside. For what seemed like an eternity, I lost my sense for which way was up, and I found myself kicking wildly, trying to hold every small ounce of air in my lungs.
Read
y…
waiting to feel a pair of cold dead teeth dig into my flesh, I found myself just floating, paralyzed. Still clutching the hammer in my hand, I finally re-opened my eyes. There was no sting like yo
u’
d find with salt water, and a light below made me glance down. Through the blurred darkness, I watched as at least a dozen creatures descended upon Rodgers right in front of the choppe
r’
s headlight, pulling him apart on the murky, mud-covered ground.
The gurgled horrifying scream as he lay there being torn apart was all that was audible. To this day, I remember it clearly. Sometimes I hear it in my dreams.
I could
n’
t see Jarvis or Kyle, but knew I needed to head up. Kicking for everything I was worth, I pushed through the liquid death. Every muscle in my body was burning, and I could feel my lungs begging for a breath as I fought to keep them for pulling the cold water into my chest.
There was no way I was going to make it. I was too far down. Drowning was supposed to be a painful, but quick death. I wondered if
I’
d be destined to be one of these floating creatures down there after I turned.
Tyler shot through my mind. A cold, more piercing than the water I was cursed in, flushed through me. Tyler. My little boy. My precious baby boy. After everything
I’
d been through to protect him, was I giving up now?
Hell no!
A burst of adrenaline shot through my body. The cold turned warm, and the pain turned into energy. The murkiness at this depth made it impossible to know how far I still had to go, but I was
n’
t stopping.
I’
d come too far. I needed to go up. Up to my son.
The hammer, held firmly in my hand, was the first to hit the cold air. It felt heavy as it reached the dark night sky. Pulling life back into my lungs, I shot out of the water feeling like one of those seals doing a back flip at Sea World. Splashing around frantically to stay afloat, I looked for the closest land.
“
John
!”
It came from behind me
.“
Over here
!
”
Kyle was swimming backwards, holding Jarvi
s’
s head above water. They were heading for a set of nearby trees. Intent on not getting sucked down by any of the Zs lurking below, I kicked into full speed, which probably looked more like a snail trying to sprint as I fought against the waterlogged body armor trying i
t’
s hardest to pull me back down.
Land was
n’
t too far away, and the three of us pulled ourselves onto some stones lying on the shore. I saw Jarvis spit water out of his mouth and nose, which was good. He was alive. Kyle lay there breathing heavy, with his arms spread out on the ground.
“
Jesus, man. You picked the wrong team
?”
Kyle finally sputtered, looking up at me
.“
That was some cold shit, man. I did
n’
t know you had it in you
.
”
“
It was the only thing I could think of
,”
I replied, looking down at the smooth pebbles.
“
I know! It was some Dirty Harry kind of shit
.”
Half a smirk crossed his face.
“
You likely saved us, John. I know you saved me. If it had
n’
t been Rodgers getting torn to shreds down there, it surely would have been me. You did what needed to be done. Feel confident in that
,”
Jarvis said making direct eye contact.
Looking back out at the water, I remember thinking he was right. However, it did
n’
t soften that dark feeling that had crept into my mind. As if a tiny black seed had been planted, I already felt it ready to grow over what had been left of my humanity. A darkness that cloaked the light, making it easier to be a killer. Easier to do what needed to be done. I feared how much I would allow it to blossom.
The air was crisp, and our clothes were wet. In a survival situation, this was a bad combination. The fact that Jarvis was still losing blood did
n’
t make it any better. Taking a quick survey of our surroundings, we discovered that w
e’
d landed in nothing more than a lake in what felt like a park. It could have been the hard ground, a building, or a forest. Given the circumstances, I guess we were about as lucky as we could have been.
Luck. In the end, i
t’
s the only reason that anybod
y’
s still alive in this world. There is
n’
t a person still breathing who does
n’
t realize that at any given moment that proverbial coin could land tails down. So many of us have relied upon that fifty-fifty chance. Even more of us are
n’
t around to talk about it.
The moonlight revealed a series of trails that wrapped around the lake. We needed to find some sort of shelter, not only to get out of the elements, but who the hell knew how many roaming Zs lurked in the forest. I had images of dead hippies with long, cornrow hair jumping out of the trees at us wearing torn, bloodied camping gear.
“
Ther
e’
s a trail map over here
,”
Kyle whispered over to us from a small pole prominently sticking out of the ground by the trai
l’
s edge.
Jogging over, I glanced down at the map.
I’
d been into camping and backpacking when I was younger. Seemed do it less and less as I got out of college. Either way, I knew my way around a park. I also knew there was usually some sort of shelter.
Now we just had to get there, and hope that Gordon or the dead would
n’
t find us first.