Capital Falling | Book 4 | Sever Winkless, Lance (most popular ebook readers TXT) 📖

from its right shoulder. Tattered flesh hangs down from the right side of its face and that side of the body is potholed from where shrapnel exploded into it. The gruesome injuries only seem to make the beast more terrifying and the look of despise on Alpha’s face is paralysing.

I am suddenly conscious of the grenade in my left hand and without thinking, I roll it down into the underpass. The clink of metal bouncing pulls me out of my paralysing terror, I flick the M4 into automatic and begin firing constantly down into the underpass. While firing, I move right and behind a concrete wall just to the side of the underpass to take cover from the imminent explosion. I aim at Alpha, filling the beast with bullets and move my aim to the other Rabids coming at me and then the explosion hits.

The explosion in the confined space is extraordinary. The boom thunders out at me and I duck in reflex, my hand going to my ears. Beneath my feet the ground shakes and a cloud of dust and debris busts out from the opening next to me, to billow into the air. The moment the explosion dissipates, my head comes up, I take hold of my M4 and pull another grenade from my chest rig.

Just before I turn and run to Karen and Tanya, I pull the grenade's pin and throw it down into the smoke engulfing the underpass.

Chapter 19

I find the two women barely halfway across the courtyard at the same moment the second grenade explodes. Karen is slumped, distraught on the paving stones below her and Tanya is stood over her, trying to get her back onto her feet.

“Karen, we have to go,” I tell her leaning now to drag her to her feet.

“Jim,” she replies in tears.

“I know, but we can’t stay here. We’ve got to get to the boat and back to Stacey.” I pull at her again and finally, her legs begin to cooperate.

I look back at the underpass, but nothing is coming out, apart from billowing dust and smoke. We need to evacuate the whole area, quickly, the threat won’t just come from the horde that followed us into the underpass, not after those explosions. Every Rabid in this part of the city will be converging on this area and they will have a smoke plume to pinpoint their destination.

“Dad, receiving, over,” Josh’s voice sounds from my chest, the explosions, unsurprisingly having carried right out to the river.

Tanya supports Karen while I reply.

“Receiving. We had Rabids in pursuit, but they have been dealt with. ETA, ten to fifteen minutes,” I reply.

“Copy that, we’ll be waiting,” Josh tells me.

“Received, out.”

In the distance, a Rabid cry rings out, an ominous warning of their impending arrival, if one was needed.

“Move, now. This way,” I order.

I change my mind about which direction to go, the narrow passageway is in the wrong direction from the river, and I really don’t fancy getting caught up in a maze of constricted alleyways with Rabids inbound.

Instead, I direct us left out of the courtyard which will take us south towards the river and we join a single laned road just off the courtyard that will take us down onto a main road. I am not exactly sure where we are, but we aren’t far off my planned route and as long as we keep heading south, we will hit the river sooner rather than later.

A figure flashes left to right at the end of the single-lane road in front of us, I immediately pull my fist down at the two women and I drop to my knee, my M4 aiming in the direction that the figure disappeared. Karen, either not having seen my signal or not registering it in her current state, runs past me before she comes to a sudden halt. She turns around in surprise at my sudden stopping and quickly comes back to me.

The Rabid figure reappears behind her, but she is in my line of fire. I keep calm and lean forward to improve my angle, aim and fire. The bullet whaps into the Rabids face, the force of the bullet knocking it off its feet backwards to hit the ground.

I quickly push myself up and order Tanya to take control of Karen. We aren’t going to make it to the river with Karen in this uncontrollable state and I come to an instant decision; we need to find shelter where I can speak to her to calm her down and get her under control. Just shy of the main road ahead, there is a building on the right with a wooden door.

“Follow me,” I bark, crossing over to the door where I smash my foot into it, but the door holds firm. Stepping back, I aim the muzzle of the M4 at the lock and fire once into the lock mechanism. Again, I smash my foot into the door and this time it bursts open. After taking a quick look, I step inside and the women follow me in.

We find ourselves inside a medium-sized room that has three desks in it. With Karen and Tanya inside, I step back and push the door back closed, pushing the lock back into place as best I can. The door isn’t secure, but I don’t plan on being in here more than two or three minutes. I then turn, raising my rifle to check that the office is clear. I see that the door on the other side of the room is closed, and a quick check under the desks tells me that we are alone.

“Please sit down Karen,” I say turning to her and pulling out a chair from beneath one of the desks.

Karen looks at me teary-eyed and does as she is asked, Tanya stands close by with her hands folded in front of her.

“I’m sorry,” Karen says, snivelling, her sleeve going to her nose.

“There is no