The Tide: Breakwater (Tide Series Book 2) (24 page)

“Right as rain, he was. Only I didn’t know it...until I got to the ER. Whole damn place was full of people biting and scratching and clawing.” He shook his head. “It was awful. Bloody, violent. I ain’t proud, but I ran from there fast as I could. Tried to go outside, but it was even worse. Streets were filled with crashed cars, fights and mobs. I ran back inside like the chicken I am and went straight up the stairs ‘til I got to one of these research floors.”

“This one?” Abby asked, her voice still strained. Navid squeezed her hand to reassure her it was all right and hoped Geraldo’s story would at least distract her until the meds kicked in.

“Nope. I found another one.” He gestured to the blood-soaked coveralls. “But it wasn’t as safe as I thought. Fought until the last crazy died.”

Navid imagined the strength of this man. He seemed so full of humility, yet the way he described it, the custodian had survived a veritable bloodbath and come out unscathed. At least, physically unscathed. Navid shivered at what the man must’ve done and seen in order to get here.

“So I went to hide again, heard the screaming from in here, and found that woman—”

“Kaitlyn,” Sandra offered.

“Well, she was trying to eat these two.” He indicated Sandra and James with an open hand. “And I did what I learned I had to do.”

“You killed her,” Abby said.

“I don’t like it when you say it like that. Whatever is causing these people to turn into those zombies took the human out of ‘em. I felt like I didn’t have a choice.” Geraldo shrugged. “That’s how I see it anyway.”

“So you don’t know what’s making these people turn?”

Geraldo shook his head.

“What about you two? You’re a professor, right?” Navid asked James.

“I am, but I couldn’t tell you a damn thing about these raging lunatics running around Boston.”

Sandra pulled a hand through her long hair and left it at the back of her neck. “Besides, once the emergency announcement came around the hospital, we stayed put. We were having a meeting with Kaitlyn O’Connor—we’re all on an NIH grant together—and decided it’d be safer to stay in here a little while.”

“A ‘little while’ turned out to be a goddamned long time,” James said.

“Certainly longer than we expected,” Sandra added. “We only followed what was going on by listening to the radio and peeking out the windows when we were brave enough.” She shivered. “God, it’s just awful.”

“And against our advice, Kaitlyn heard someone scream and just had to help. She got attacked and came running back. Somehow escaped the zombie that had tried to eat her, and then, after a while, she turned into one.”

“Which is when I showed up,” Geraldo added.

The barricade shook again as the crazies pounded against the door. It seemed the monsters wouldn’t give up. Abby shrank back against the wall and wrapped her arms around her knees.

Navid glanced at the door to the office. “Can we go in there? Does your office lead somewhere else?”

“It just goes right into the hall with those
things.
And besides, Kaitlyn’s in there.”

“I thought you said she was dead.” Navid was nonplussed.

“She is. It’s just her body there,” Geraldo said. “But those bony growths kept on showing up all over her long after she died, and the radio said not to touch ‘em or you might get infected and turn into one of ‘em. All it takes is a poke, a scrape, or a bite, and bam—you’re gone.”

Abby whimpered, and Navid interlaced his fingers in hers. “It’s going to be okay. I won’t let those things near you again.”

The door shook, and several books thumped onto the floor.

“Maybe joining Kaitlyn isn’t such a bad idea right now,” Geraldo said. “If those things come through
that
door, at least we’ll have the other door to delay ‘em.”

“Agreed. Gives us time to think of something else.” Sandra turned to Navid and Abby. “Try to keep your eyes on the desk. It’s pretty...gruesome in there.”

“Gruesome is a goddamned understatement.” James stomped into the office.

Sandra followed after with Geraldo. The custodian waited at the entrance a moment before asking, “Do you two need help?”

Navid shook his head, putting his arm under Abby’s shoulder to help her to her feet. “I got it.”

Abby whimpered again.

“It hurts that bad?”

A tear rolled down her cheek as her head twisted slowly left, then right. “No... it’s not my ankle.”

She revealed her wrist to him, letting him see where the crazy had grabbed her earlier. It felt like a semi-truck hit him, going full throttle, and blew his heart out. He stared at the delicate skin he’d caressed so many times since he’d fallen in love with her during their first year in grad school together.

A couple of scratches, red and only freshly scabbed over, traced their way along Abby’s flesh. Small scrapes—nothing to bat an eye about normally. Only now, Navid knew those tiny injuries were not normal.

He hugged her, running his hands through her hair, kissing her cheek, her lips. How long would it be before she became one of
them
?

––––––––

T
he Skulls were everywhere. They swarmed out of the field house like bees defending their hive. Miguel gulped hard and peeled back the door to the AW109. The wind and rotor wash rushed around him, threatening to blow him out of the chopper. His body remembered what it felt like to be thrown out of a vehicle and left to die. But the harness around his torso held him secure, and he reminded himself that other lives depended on him. He wouldn’t be frozen by fear.

“Think the chapel bells are still going to distract these fuckers?” Andris asked.

Miguel watched the wave of Skulls. There was no way Renee, Terrence, and Meredith could possibly fight them off. “We don’t have time. And even if we did, those Skulls are too focused on prey. They wouldn’t give a shit about some bells.” He wrapped his fingers tight around his rifle. “Get us as close as you can!” He yelled into his mic. “We’ve got to get them cover fire!”

“Will do!” Frank replied.

The chopper banked hard and descended toward the thronging mass of Skulls. One of the creatures was already on Renee. She fought the skinny thing, kicking it and trying to bash its face with her rifle.

Miguel wanted desperately to help, but he couldn’t get a clean shot from a moving chopper. The rest of the Skulls were closing in, pouring from the field house and rushing over the lawn. Their screams and wails reached Miguel’s ears even through the beat of the chopper rotors.

“We aren’t going to help from here,” Andris said.

“He’s right,” Miguel said. “Frank, bring us down right behind Renee. Put us between Bravo and the Skulls.”

“You got it!”

The AW109 began a rapid descent, the grass and trees reaching toward them. Wheels hit the lawn. Bravo team lay on the opposite side of the chopper, and Miguel and Andris faced the oncoming horde. The rotors still went full speed, ready to lift off at a moment’s notice. Miguel aimed his rifle at the nearest Skull. It was close enough for him to make out red eyes between the jutting cheekbones and demonic horns. He squeezed the trigger, and the Skull’s face exploded in a gory mess. He picked out a second target. Andris did the same. Their rifles chattered as they chose marks and fired.

“There’s no fucking way we’re taking ‘em all on,” Andris said between bursts of gunfire. “Reloading!”

“Just hold ‘em until Renee’s moving again.”

Gunfire exploded from behind Miguel. He stole a quick glance to see through the chopper window that Terrence had blasted the Skull attacking Renee. Meredith helped Renee up, and they began running north again toward Alpha and the basin.

The scent of gunpowder and blood permeated the air. Miguel and Andris sprayed into the mass of Skulls. An especially lithe Skull ran low to the ground, dodging Miguel’s shots. The rounds that did connect glanced off its organic body armor. Miguel realized they’d overstayed their welcome. He unclipped a grenade from his tac vest, pulled the pin, and lobbed it into the crowd.

“Frag out!” He slapped the cabin wall of the chopper. “Frank, take us up!”

“Lifting off!”

The chopper jolted and then began its ascent. An explosion rocked through the Skulls. The metal shards tore through the monsters, cracking their bony plates and tearing apart their limbs. A geyser of blood and bone shot into the air.

The beasts that weren’t hit by the blast continued their mad rush. The skinny Skull that Miguel had failed to bring down leapt and twisted through the air. It caught one of the static landing wheels on the AW109 and swung itself up into the fuselage.

Miguel tried to readjust his aim, but the Skull pounced on Andris before he could get a shot off. The man went down hard. He managed to grab the creature’s forearms, preventing it from flaying him alive with its hooked claws. Saliva flew from the creature’s mouth. Its howl filled the fuselage.

“Hey, asshole!” Miguel yelled and brought his rifle back.

He smashed the creature’s face with the butt of his gun. The Skull’s nose flattened inward, and flecks of blood sprayed a window. A growl escaped its dry, scaly lips, and it coiled back. It sprang at him, and he dodged. The creature crashed against a passenger seat. Its muscles twitched and flexed, preparing for another attack.

But Miguel didn’t give it another chance. He was too close to the Skull to bring his rifle around, but his prosthetic was in perfect striking distance. He twisted his wrist, and the concealed blade flashed out, impaling the creature straight through its damaged nasal cavity. The monster went slack, and Miguel kicked it in the chest, knocking the thin Skull out the open door.

He watched the beast fall to the earth and smash into four of the enraged monsters still running after Bravo. The small distraction Miguel, Andris, and Frank had provided had hardly stemmed the flow of creatures. Yet all three members of Bravo were still alive, and for that, Miguel was thankful.

Frank circled the chopper so the two Hunters could take potshots at the swarm of monsters. It seemed each one they took down led to another three charging out of the field house. The building was like some twisted clown car spewing creatures straight from hell.

“Charlie, Alpha here,” Dom’s voice came over the comm link. “Nice job, boys. Keep up the cover fire.”

“Aye, aye, Captain,” Miguel and Andris said in unison.

“We’re aborting this mission and will reconvene at the
Huntress
.”

“Copy,” Renee said, sounding out of breath.

Miguel couldn’t help but feel disappointed. They’d had a decent plan, but they’d been too late. The Oni Agent had found the survivors before the Hunters did. He watched Bravo pass the huge Bancroft Hall dormitory. The team looked small compared to the massive hall with its towering columns.

A sudden burst of gunfire pierced the air. Miguel could see Renee, Meredith, and Terrence still running; none of them had taken a shot. More gunfire exploded around Bancroft, and Miguel watched a line of Skulls fall.

“Alpha, Charlie. Are you firing on these guys?” Miguel asked.

“Negative,” Dom replied.

Miguel pressed his binos to his eyes. More gunfire resounded over the Academy. He spotted rifles brimming from the windows of the dorm. “Holy shit! We’ve got survivors.”

“Charlie, repeat that?” Dom said.

“Survivors, Dom. They’re holing up in Bancroft, firing down into the Skulls.”

As quickly as hope had appeared, it began to fade. A pack of Skulls still chased Bravo, but the gunfire had drawn the interest of the main contingent. The creatures began to roil and climb over each other to get at the gunners. They used their claws to scale the building, easily gripping the sculpted flourishes along the great hall.

Miguel lowered the binos and spoke into his mic again. “Chief, those people aren’t going to survive long if we don’t do something.”

***

G
unfire resounded from across the academy and echoed over the basin. Dom’s heart stopped. “Charlie, repeat that?”

“Survivors, Dom. They’re holing up in Bancroft, firing down into the Skulls.”

Shit.
Jenna, Spencer, and Owen looked at him, awaiting orders. They’d come to save these survivors, but now he wasn’t sure they could rescue them without sacrificing themselves. Whose lives would he save today? The Hunters or the people hiding in Bancroft?

“Charlie, are the survivors fortified enough that they’ll be fine on their own while we regroup?”

“Negative, that’s definitely a fucking negative!” Miguel yelled back. “One of the Skulls punched through a window. I think they got him, but it ain’t going to be pretty if we don’t do
something
, Chief.”

“Copy.” Dom racked his mind for a solution. Engaging in a suicidal firefight wasn’t going to save his Hunters or the survivors. From what his Hunters reported, they wouldn’t be able to put up much of a resistance against the monsters out in the open. But if they routed the Skulls somehow... “Charlie, get to the chapel and go with the original plan. On my signal, ring that damn bell and cause as much of a racket as you can.”

Shots erupted south of Alpha’s position, and Bravo came running. They sprinted along a brick pathway. A small pack of Skulls followed.

“Alpha, let’s move out!” Dom yelled, leading the charge to meet Bravo. The two Hunter teams rendezvoused in the field near the basin. But there wasn’t time for hellos. “Fire, fire, fire!”

Dom shouldered his rifle. Each shot kicked his shoulder as he picked his targets. First, a lanky Skull with spikes jutting from its joints. Another Skull with considerable body mass followed, covered more in plates than spikes. Each time Dom fired, bony fragments and flesh sprayed off the beasts. The chatter of gunfire around him continued as the Skulls sprinted across the field. The Hunters mowed them down, and their screams and wails dissipated. Bodies littered the grass, and the smell of spilled blood intermingled with the salty breeze from the bay. The last Skull fell forward and tumbled in a heap of limbs.

“Alpha, Bravo, on me!” Dom held up a fist. The Hunters surrounded him. They scanned the field for signs of more Skulls. Distant cries from the monsters called, and gunfire sounded off in response. Dom concentrated, focusing on the map he’d studied of the Academy.