Damn 20,000 characters limit >
Chapter III- Massacre
Trey strolled down the island’s southern beach, gazing out at the sea and the island’s defence walls. The sun was slowly beginning to set as it sank lower and lower into the horizon. Trey glanced around at the beach. There were a few children playing by the water’s edge- nothing out of the ordinary. Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder and he swiftly turned around to see who it was. It was Daren.
“Still up for pub?” Daren asked.
“Of course,” Trey assured him, “I still haven’t managed to outdrink you… The GTPS never receives anything, anyways. What are you going to do about your son?”
“Ah! The wee lad. One of the neighbors agreed to look after him. He’ll be fine. As long as he doesn’t kill her.”
“Still has quite the fire burning in him, huh?”
“Aye, he’ll make a fine addition to this island when he’s allowed to hold a gun. Anyways, I’ll be off now. Oh and it’s Corin’s 20th birthday today.”
“I’ll be sure to bring him something.”
With that, the two parted and Trey continued his patrolling the beach until it was dusk. He headed over to his new home on the island. Eventually, it grew dark and the few street lamps scattered across the island lit up. Trey pondered on what he would get for Corin, a member of Daren’s former zombie hunter team.
Trey reached his home, went in and washed his face. He then picked out a packet of cigarettes from under his bed and placed it in a small box along with some folded pages torn out of from his Playboy magazine. It was a small gift, but Trey knew Corin was a massive pervert and would greatly appreciated the pictures.
He then made his way to the infected barracks area and to the pub. The pub was lit by several oil lamps hanging from the ceilings and it was a quaint little place that smelled strongly of alcohol. A rather big crowd had assembled there and were gathered around the birthday boy, Corin, who was chugging down a bottle of beer that had only recently come off the Albatross. Alcohol was hard to come by and was rather expensive on the island until a few months before when Solo Okeke had shown people how to tap palm wine from palm trees, otherwise known as kaikai to him.
Trey found Daren. They both took seats, listening to the zombie hunter crews boasting about their adventures in the wastelands. The bartender, an elderly man with rotting black teeth greeted them with a toothy grin.
“Ah, so what will it be tonight?” he asked them huskily.
“A beer.” Trey ordered.
“Piss tastes like piss, lad. I’ll have a scotch.”
The evening went by peacefully until eventually it was lights out time. Everyone headed home and the crowd thinned out until the bar was devoid of life. Trey staggered home, half drunk, after bidding Daren farewell.
Eventually he stumbled into his house and crashed into his bed and almost fell asleep until he saw a green light flash from the GTPS. Trey pulled himself out of his drunken stupor and swiftly checked the device. It was the message light- the machine had received a transmission while he was gone. Trey pressed the play button on the recorder and the radio fizzled for a moment until a voice began to speak.
* This is Alpha Team, awaiting orders! *kshhhhhh* USS Cerberus here, Captain Neil speaking, what is your position? *kshhhhh* Outside the insertion point, shall we move in? *ksshhhhh* Negative! Stand by for further instruction. *kshhhhhhh*”
The recording ended. Trey froze for a moment, taking in what he had just heard. He strapped the GTPS onto his back and burst out the front door. He dashed across the field, intent on reaching the Argus Research Campus. He was halfway there when the machine started to beep. It began to fizzle again.
“*kshhhhhh* This is USS Cerberus, we are commencing bombardment, Over! Let’s waste the fuckers! *kshhh*”
And then it came, an ear splitting explosion from the western sea wall, illuminating the island and sending pieces of debris catapulting into the air. Trey locked stared at where the explosion had come from, dumbfounded. Another one ripped out, this time blowing half the sea wall into thousands of pieces. The suddenness of what happened caused Trey to fall back in shock. What had just happened? He thought. Following this explosion was a long chorus of gunfire that sounded from the beach area. The Red Halo officers guarding the western sea wall began to fire at an unknown enemy until another explosion blew the last of the defenders into oblivion.
Trey managed to get up and brush the dirt off his uniform. He was about to break into a run when another Red Halo officer ran up to him.
“The island’s under attack! Go! Sound the alarm and get everyone to the shelters!” he said.
Trey stared at the red lens of his gasmask, slightly dazed from the explosion. (and the booze)
“Now, dammit!” the officer thrust him aside and ran off towards the beach, followed by several others, all armed with AR-15 assault rifles.
Trey struggled to get up. He gathered his senses and ran towards a guard post by the infected barracks. The post was empty, but Trey could see that the inhabitants of the barracks area had been stirred by the explosions. They began to walk outside their houses, curious as to what was going on. Trey entered the guard post and sounded the alarm. A loud, mournful siren sounded all over the island. The citizens of the barracks fell into a panic. He pushed the gates aside and entered the area, drawing his pistol, just as another explosion echoed in the distance and lit up the sky.
“Everyone to the shelters!” he ordered. “Now!”
People began to run in the direction indicated by a green street sign towards the safe zones. Trey helped some of them, especially those with children. Suddenly a familiar voice called out to him.
“Trey!” the deep voice of a man called out. “Over here!”
It was Daren, standing amidst the chaos and confusion. He ambled over to Trey, pushing aside some people.
“Daren!” Trey called then went over to him. “I need you to get to the safe zones, the island is under attack!”
“DAMN THE SAFE ZONE!” Daren swore. “I can’t find Oliver!”
“Shit…look, just stick with me and we’ll find him, alright? But we need to help these people to safety.”
Daren held an exasperated look but grudgingly agreed. They ushered people over to the safe zones until the barracks emptied out. Daren rushed into his house and came out armed with a Winchester rifle. Trey hoped he wouldn’t have to use it. They kept a look out for Daren’s son until they decided that he must be with his babysitter at the safe zone. They just started to follow after the long line of panicked civilians until the whirring sound of a helicopter was heard. Trey searched the sky and found the source of the sound, an Apache gunship hovering above the barracks, flying towards the line of people.
Daren and Trey stared at in shock. The island did not have any Apache helicopters. Where did this one come from? Suddenly and without warning, the helicopter hovered near the line of people, before unleashes a deadly barrage of machine gun fire on them. Trey’s eyes widened, stunned at what was happening. The bullets from the helicopter cut down the villagers, butchering them before Trey’s eyes. They fell likes flies, screaming in horror as their friends and family were torn to pieces by bullets.
“No!” Daren roared in rage and aimed his rifle up at the helicopter, firing at it continuously. Trey did the same with his pistol, until they both ran out of bullets and began to reload.
They stopped their reload half way, because a Red Halo officer came flying down the street at top speed with his gas mask off, holding a panicked look. Before Trey could ask him what was going on, his chest exploded in a spray of red blood as he was shot from behind. He fell face flat, dead.
“What the fu-” Trey said but was cut off as more gunshots flew in their direction. He dove into a nearby house while Daren stood outside shooting at the attackers. “Get in here, you old idiot!”
Daren grunted in frustration as he ran out of bullets once again. He joined Trey in the house. They were in a darkened kitchen, with plates and tableware smashed on the floor.
“They’re fucking soldiers!” Daren managed to say between his breaths. “Goddamn soldiers!”
“What the hell?” Trey asked in confusion.
Gunshots sounded outside. A hail of bullets came thundering through the house’s wooden wall.
“Crap!” Trey crouched down and took shelter under a table. Daren followed after. “We need to get out of here! Follow me!”
“Bah! I ain’t leavin’ until I get a shot at those bastards!”
“Daren, stop being an asshole!”
“Dammit!” Daren swore before giving in and following Trey out of the house.
They heard footsteps coming form the kitchen as they tore climbed out of an open window and into a small garden. Beyond the garden was the open field, to which they retreated and hid under the tall grass.
“This is a coward’s way out!” Daren said, “Let’s go and fight!”
Trey ignored him for a moment and but instead surveyed what he could see of the island. The moon hung like a sickle blade in sky. He could see the line of dead villagers trailing up towards the safe zone, but averted his gaze from it, feeling sick. The apache helicopter hovered around the island, bringing death to its inhabitants, occasionally firing missiles. The sound of screaming and death flooded Trey’s senses. Hot tears escaped him and flowed down his cheeks before falling to the grass below. Daren was also quietly weeping for his son .
After what seemed like hours of waiting, the GTPS strapped to Trey’s back began to fizzle again.
“*kshhhh* This is Bravo Team, we have reached the insertion point. *kshhhh* Alpha Team we are advancing towards the A.R.C *kshhhhh* Hell yeah! Damn these little bastards go down fast! *kshhhh* This is USS Cerberus, take as many prisoners as you can, kill all infected. Burn the bodies. *kshhhh* Affirtmative! *kshhhh* Hahaha! Woooooot! *kshhhhh* Delta Squad, cease this behavior at once! *kshhhhh* Oh well…alright *kshhhhhh* We have Arthur Adams! I repeat we have Arthur Adams! *kshhhhh* Excellent, now bring all the other scientists back alive *kshhhhhh*
Trey pressed the interception button on the GTPS immediately and spoke into the transmitter.
“Who the hell are you people!? What do you want!?” he cried.
Silence followed.
*kshhhhh* Who is this? Which one of you idiots are playing with the radio again? Hello? *kshhhhhh*
Trey fell back, helpless. Daren placed a hand on his shoulder.
“What’s wrong, laddie?” he asked softly.
“This is my fault,” Trey muttered between sobs, “I was supposed to watch the radio.”
Both fell silent for several minutes. The screams of the dying and the gunfire ended. They surveyed the scene, several armed men in military uniforms were marching through the infected barracks, finishing off any survivors. They set the buildings ablaze and began to pile the corpses up.
*kshhhh* This is Bravo Team, all hostiles have been eliminated *kshhhhh*
Those words hit Trey like a stone; he began to sob more than ever, only stopping because Daren had. The tall grass near them rustled. Both of them sprang into alert. They aimed their weapons towards the source and they could make out the dim outline of a woman trudging through the grass.
“Hey!” Trey whispered loudly. “Over here!”
The woman glanced around her before finally spotting Trey and Daren. She stumbled over to them, clutching at a bloody wound in her belly. She was dressed like on of the Red Halo scientists. She also held some sheets of paper in her other hand.
“Please…” she whispered then fell on her knees. Trey and Daren went over to help her. “Take this.” She said, handing them the papers, “They are after it.” She lay on the grass , staring into the eternal sky, her blue eyes moist with tears. “There is a pair of boats on the southern beach,” she struggled to speak, “A team of zombie hunters have already taken one. There is one left. Go...” Eventually, the light faded from her eyes and she breathed her final breath before passing away quietly.
“What a waste of life…” Daren mumbled and sighed heavily.
Trey clasped the papers in his hands, he could not see what was written on them. He stood up with a hard look on his face.
“Let’s get out of here.” He managed to say, wishing he didn’t have to leave the place he loved so dearly. “But let’s take down as many as those bastards as we can.”
The pair made their way out of the fields and towards the infected barracks until they were caught by surprise. A man popped out of the tall grass, wielding an AK-47. Trey and Daren froze, but the man did not fire.
“Trey, my boy! Jesus Christ of Nazareth! Wetin dey happen for you?”
Trey recognized that voice. It was Solo Okeke.
“I go kill these bastards!” Solo said, seething with hatred.
“Can you use that gun?”
“You donno? I fight for Biafra when I still dey for Nigeria.”
“Come on, buddy, let’s get out of here.”
“Ehhhh, ok.”
They entered a house and peeped out one of its broken windows. There were several men dressed in military uniforms standing around a man kneeling on the street. Trey squinted to see better in the dark but what he saw astonished him even more. The soldiers had the US army insignia on their sleeves.
“You’re right. They’re fucking soldiers.” He whispered to Daren.
Solo held his assault rifle tightly, breathing heavily.
One of the soldiers aimed a pistol at their prisoner’s head.
“Look man we don’t have to do this!” pleaded one of the younger soldiers. Their prisoner lay crying on the floor, begging them not to kill him. But alas, his please were in vain and the soldier fired a shot that silenced him forever. The man lay still, a pool of blood forming around his head.
“Solo…” Trey whispered. “Solo?” he looked to his right. Solo was gone.
After a few seconds, he heard a guttural cry ring out from outside. Solo went charging at the soldiers, his weapon firing at full force. The soldiers were caught off guard. They fell to the ground, holes blown into their bodies.
“Aw, hell! Save some for me!” Daren said and went charging after Solo.
One of the soldiers had survived. Daren and Solo were carrying him off towards the southern beach. Trey caught up to them.
“What the hell are you doing!?” he asked in confusion.
“Taking prisoners, let’s go!” Daren said,
They ran through a forest before finally reaching the beach. Soldiers were on their trail. They would occasionally fire shots back at their pursuers, lighting up the darkness for a brief moment. The sound of waves crashing against the shore and the smell of salty water filled Trey’s senses. He spotted a lone boat floating aimlessly near the shore. The three of them charged towards it, carrying their prisoner, until a shot rang out and Solo fell to the floor.
“Solo!” Trey cried and went over to him. Four bullets had pierced his gut compared to their prisoner’s simple wound to the leg. More of the soldiers were coming after them. They didn’t have much time.
“My friend, go!” Solo said, panting for breath. “God will protect me.”
Trey shrugged, “Whatever you say, bro.”
Daren started up the boat and Trey hopped in, accidentally sitting on the prisoner. The boat rumbled loudly and sped off, sending a blast of water out the back area.
The island slowly grew smaller and smaller, shrinking into the distance. They sailed on in total darkness with only the moonlight to guide their way. A sigh of relief escaped Trey’s lips as he collapsed onto the floor of the boat and eventually passed out.
