In The End Box Set | Books 1-3 Stevens, GJ (story books to read TXT) 📖

from where I'd sunk? How could I let her see me like this in our last moments together?

I stood and fixed my gaze on hers whilst ignoring the pain in my knees as they bent, sucking up the sting of each breath as my body remembered the trauma I'd endured in the last few days.

Together, we turned to face the advance as Shadow's bark grew more intense. We drew up our weapons, with no need to be selective. We both fired, loosing off round after round into the crowd.

Lead opened jagged holes, ripping flesh from bone, but few bodies fell to the floor or slowed their momentum.

The click of my empty chamber came too soon. I turned to Cassie to see her rapid fire, but instead she stared back, her gun empty, too.

Still, bullets shocked the air, rounds flying in from somewhere we couldn't see. I scanned the room and saw a window in the centre row where the glass had blown out, its fragments spread across the floor. A flurry of lead streamed from outside and the smoking black-end of a long barrel rattled against the windowsill as it weaved left and right, mowing the dead down, splitting torsos in two.

“Get down,” I shouted, turning as I motioned for everyone to hit the floor. My back was to the advance, even though the creatures were almost on us.

“Get down,” I repeated, running over to Andrew, the old lady already on the floor as I pulled him from the chair, launching myself to cover his body and burying my face against his cooling skin.

The chatter of the machine gun stopped, but shouts were all around, single shots volleying from somewhere unseen.

The rattle was back and I felt a weight fall on my arm. I spasmed out, rising, prepared to smash the life, or death, with my fists; ready to protect to the end.

No response came back as I shoved it away, the creature just flesh, my fist coming back clotted with blood.

A haze of thick, chemical stink misted the room as the gunfire fell silent. The fog settled enough for me to see two soldiers, one a good foot taller than the other, striding through the double doors. Their faces were stern, looking either way for movement, their handguns aimed in our direction.

I put my hands in the air, ready to switch to the next nightmare.

Still alive as they slowed their advance, they settled their guns pointing to the floor.

My gaze shot to the window and someone climbing through. Neither soldier reacted as Lane jumped to the tiles, dragging the heavy machine gun by a handle with a ribbon of long bullets wrapped around its centre.

“You were right,” he said, his face with a thin smile as he picked his way through the mess of bodies littering the length of the ward, tip-toeing around the leeching blood.

I stood to full height, took notice as each one of us rose.

Ellie ushered the children up, taking care to see their wide eyes open. She turned them each away, struggling to find a direction clear of the chaos.

Cassie pulled up and looked to me, checking over my body for any damage whilst I did the same for her. Only the old lady and Andrew didn't rise and together we helped him to the chair, pausing as we saw the bullet hole in the leather seat and a matching crater in the wall behind.

“You found them,” I said, turning away, stepping around the children.

The old lady was still on the floor, her body cooling as I touched.

“No, they found me,” Lane reply.

We hugged.

“You were right. I told them about you guys.”

“I didn't even know her name,” I said, looking to the old woman. Cassie took my arm and helped me to my feet. “Doctor Lytham's dead,” I said as I rose.

“No, she's not,” said the taller soldier in a deep voice, his gun by his side. “Who’s injured?”

With no time to take in the news, I turned to Cassie, not able to look anywhere but her hand. I saw the soldiers stiffen, their pistols jerking just a little but still pointed to the floor; they raised once more as we turned to Andrew.

“But they're okay. We got the bleeding under control quickly,” I said.

Both looked at each other and gave a nod as they turned to clear a path, pushing bodies to the side with their heavy boots.

I stroked Shadow and picked him up around his legs, my ribs complaining like they hadn't done in hours.

The taller soldier stayed up front, guiding the way with the wide beam of a torch.

 Lane walked by my side as the other soldier held back while we headed through the corridor. I was thankful for Shadow's bulk blocking my view as we passed the piled bodies, with no other choice than to walk through the tacky blood.

A shot went off as we found a double set of doors, the solider at the rear jogging to catch up now he'd made sure the old lady wouldn't rise.

Beyond the doors were climbing concrete steps; the smear of dark liquid on the first few told of the battles won and lost in this place.

Leaving the machine gun behind, Lane and the shorter soldier helped Andrew out of his chair, their footsteps echoing with each heavy breath until we were through the doors at the top and out into light.

We passed another two guards crouched down behind barricades, rifles pointing in our direction. At least I could be sure the bags they used for cover contained sand this time.

The first floor was different, despite having the same layout as below; the stench of decay less pronounced, covered perhaps by the caustic antiseptic hanging in my mouth.

The corridor wasn't littered with battlefield scars and light poured