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

“Run!” I shout at the women as they arrive at my position. “Keep going!” I add as the M4’s magazine empties itself into the undead.

One or two Rabids go down but they are only replaced by other ferocious beasts, as I knew they would be. I eject the mag and my muscle memory changes it out in a flash to get the rifle firing again. I keep my finger depressed on the trigger until the second magazine is spent, then I turn to run, ejecting the next mag as I go.

Karen and Tanya are a short distance in front of me as I push another magazine home, and I’m desperately trying to catch them up. The narrow side street’s light changes subtlety as the chasing pack of zombies burst onto it behind me, their shrieks of death making sure I know that they are still coming to feed.

That is when I pull the last of the grenades from my front and pull its pin. With my legs pumping, I gradually catch up to Karen and Tanya who are neck and neck in front of me, sprinting for their lives.

The street narrows slightly, and the solid walls on either side of me to contain and deflect the explosion, indicate that is the time to drop my last grenade. The grenades destructive force is now our last hope of outrunning our hunters, who are closing in fast behind.

“Grenade… keep going!” I shout as the device hits the ground behind my feet. I can only hope that the women hear and understand my warning and don’t break their stride when the explosion hits.

With the grenade dropped, I concentrate on running and increase my speed. Lactic acid pumps through my muscles, providing them with energy to catch up to Karen and Tanya and then to move past them. Ahead of us, the street is cut off by a building and the road turns sharp right and I look for cover as I sprint towards the latest obstacle.

The almighty explosion erupts behind, with a shattering BOOM, moments before I arrive at the right turn. I don’t turn to see what damage the explosion has managed to create and how much time it has bought us, if any, until I reach the cover of the corner.

Pieces of rubble rain down into the road as I spin to watch the women chase by me. “Turn next left,” I shout as they go by and I begin to fire the M4 blind into the cloud of smoke clogging the street where the explosion erupted.

Another magazine is emptied into the smoke and dust without me knowing if I have hit a single Rabid. I eject the mag but just as I reach for another from my combat vest the first Rabid comes through the dissipating smoke.

The creature stumbles out into the open, its torso cut to ribbons, the beast looking unsure of what its objective is. Other shadows move behind it and then emerge to join the first Rabid. A snarling sound emanates, and I turn to look at the creature making the sound. I find myself locking eyes with the culprit, its evil eyes drilling into me.

Launching forward, the creatures snarling escalates into a wailing screech and I turn to run, knowing that their deathly pursuit has resumed.

Only a short distance away is the turn left, that I told Karen and Tanya to take. I can only hope that the chasing pack don’t see me turn before they round the corner. As I steal a look behind, I see the creature again for just a second before the building cuts off the view.

Ahead, the women have made good progress, they are nearing the junction with the main road ahead. Across the main road marks the last block of buildings before we reach the wharf. We are close but I have no idea what might wait for us on the main road and the women are about to rush out onto it.

“Left” I shout, with the hunting pack at my back. I was praying there would be a road straight ahead down to the wharf but no such luck, another building stands in our way blocking the final part of the route.

There is no time to stop and clear the way ahead, I will have to let the women run blindly onto the main road. The gamble pays off, I see as I round the corner to join them on the main road, it is clear.

“Right,” I shout at the two women ahead, as they near a road that will lead us down to the wharf. I see them disappear behind the building as they turn into the road and I quickly look over my shoulder.

Terror rips through me. The swarm of Rabids, their fearful eyes fixed on me, are only a meter or two behind. I turn the corner, legs pumping and see the two women in front, the wharf beyond them and then the embankment wall.

We are so close to reaching the beach where Josh and Alice will be waiting ready to come in and pick us up, but we have no chance of making it. At any moment now the pack will catch up to me, take me down and rip me apart. Karen and Tanya might make it to the wharf, but where do they go from there? They will not know about the stairs to the left that will take them down to the beach, even if they had time to use them, which they won’t. Their fate will ultimately be the same as mine.

I stretch my legs as far as I can, pushing off the tarmac behind and reaching for the next piece to use in desperation. My muscles burn, threatening to burst as I use every ounce of energy I have remaining. Our fate is sealed, I know it in my gut, a gut that will be greedily torn out of my stomach. Karen breaks through onto the wharf