Sirens of the Zombie Apocalypse (Book 1): Since the Sirens (24 page)

Liam took off his belt and handed it to her.

“I don't need it. Trust me.”

He then gave her his holster, which fit the belt and the Mark I
perfectly. She wrapped the belt around her midsection, then dropped
her gun into the snug holster. A little snap could hold it in place,
but Liam suggested she leave it open as she'd likely need the gun
soon.

“It ain't pretty I'm afraid, but it will keep you in the
fight.”

Victoria looked up at him with wet eyes.

“I'm so sorry Liam. I just left you guys in there. I thought
I knew what I was doing, but I couldn't outrun those two... They
caught me at the top. I fought like hell... but paid the price.”
She gave him a tired smile, though her swollen lip and bruised cheek
made it visibly painful for her to do so.

Liam was about to respond, but she kept going.

“I was so sorry to leave you guys. But I had to save you. I
needed to save you.”

She leaned into Liam, and rested her head on his shoulder and
began to cry.

Liam attributed it to her trauma up in the Arch, but she
clarified.

“I don't want to die in this horrible place. I want to see
open sky again. I want run to the next tunnel. Then never stop. I
want to survive. I want you to survive. I want Grandma to survive.
Someone has to survive.”

Liam didn't know what to say. He'd never had a girl crying on his
shoulder, and his emotions were in upheaval for so many reasons.

The smoke.

The noise.

The tension.

Then the earth rumbled. Everyone looked around like frightened
deer in headlights. Then they got serious about moving closer to the
exit.

The police had nearly gathered everyone together.

The captain yelled at the top of his lungs.

“ONE MINUTE!”

Liam gently pushed Victoria off his shoulder and held her in front
of him. He was able to look her in the eyes and make a promise.

“I'm not going to let you go. We're going to get through
this together. I promise.”

Should I kiss her? Would I be taking advantage of her?

His mind was unable to process all the permutations of emotions
swirling around his head and heart at that moment. He was frozen.

Victoria gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, solving his mental
dilemma. And then, wiping the tears from her eyes with her free hand
she yelled to Liam.

“TOGETHER?”

Liam echoed with “TOGETHER!”

He tucked his Mark I in his waistband. His pants were tight enough
it would stay there pretty well. He felt he could take on the world.

They each took hold of one handle on the back of Grandma's
wheelchair and pushed her into position along the side of the tracks,
facing south out the entrance. The rear guards of officers had closed
the distance to be with the main group. Children were hanging on to
their parents, the youngest were carried by those with the strength
to hold them. Most kids were crying from all the commotion and noise.
Behind them all was a seething mass of plague victims coming out of
the dark and smoky tunnel. There were no living people left to delay
them.

The captain and a vanguard of officers with shotguns were standing
right at the cusp of the portal.

With a flourish the captain turned around to everyone and gave his
most rousing and succinct speech of the day.

“RUN LIKE HELL BOYS AND GIRLS!”

With that, they all plunged into the chaos.

Liam found himself under the wide open sky for the first time in
nearly a full day and was a little disoriented by the bright
sunshine, heat, and fresh air. The open air amplified the noise of
gunfire, panicked screaming from every direction, and the angry howls
of military aircraft of all types above them. He stumbled a little as
he pushed one half of Grandma's wheelchair along the rocky railroad
grade.

Victoria was on the other handle of the chair, while Grandma did
her best to hang on with one hand while also hanging on to Liam's
backpack. On any other day the scene would likely have garnered a few
laughs by anyone who saw them, but not today.

Today they were surrounded by a few dozen men, women, and children
making a break from one tunnel to another—and thus the trio
working the wheelchair wasn't even considered unusual.

Liam noticed many details in the fresh air. A couple pulling along
a young teen girl, who was in turn pulling along a small border
collie that wanted nothing to do with the run. A nun, black habit and
all, with jogging shoes easily outpacing almost everyone. A young
police officer, barely older than Liam it seemed, pausing to fire at
nearby threats with his sidearm.

The railroad tracks run along a shallow trench below the main park
surrounding the Arch. Liam couldn't remember seeing the railroad
tracks from the park above, so he figured they were designed to be
well camouflaged. He could see the gigantic stone staircase which
wrapped around and over the tunnel ahead. It helped people get from
the park, over the tracks, and down to the nearby riverfront. The
tunnel itself was a couple football fields-length ahead of them.

The remnants of the civilian and military cordon around the park
were running down the hill from up top, either using the big steps,
or dropping off a short wall onto the tracks, and then either turning
into the tunnel or continuing forward toward the water of the river.
Liam couldn't see much in the direction of the water. His worry was
focused on what was behind the survivors as they came off the hill.

Fewer and fewer people were coming down. Those remaining were
getting caught by the rising tide of infected behind them. The slow.
The weak. The injured. Those out of ammo. The overly brave. They were
fighting hand-to-hand with zombies out in front of all the others.
They either got away quickly or were consumed. Most, Liam was sorry
to admit, succumbed.

Liam's heart stuttered as a large vehicle tore through some of the
small trees on the hill above him. It was the heavy M1A2 tank he'd
seen from up in the Arch, but it had completely morphed into
something out of a horror flick. It was belching out great clouds of
white smoke, making it impossible to see behind it. And its color had
changed from desert tan to Hell's red.

As it plowed over the hill it ran over several feeding zombies.
Then it moved down, readjusting its path to avoid the stragglers in
Liam's own group. It popped off a small ledge and was soon perched
directly on the railroad tracks. It was close enough Liam could see
the sheen of blood covering the entire lower half of the tracked
monster. The tracks and road wheels were caked solid with—Liam
couldn’t even describe the horrors. One detached foot in
Angie’s car was enough to terrorize him. The deck was covered
with body parts and torn clothing. It was difficult to tell, but
there appeared to be injured zombies riding along—groping for
the living inside the steel beast. Liam could imagine all the death
the tank crew had witnessed.

He thought it was just going to continue onward toward the river,
along with all the other people running in that direction, but
instead it seemed to dig in its feet as it sat on the ruined train
tracks. The massive smoke screen was moving along the hillside behind
the tank, temporarily providing cover for those—like
Liam—trying to run from the walking plague up there.

He continued to move Grandma down the tracks, but he was looking
over his shoulder to see what the wayward tank was going to do. Just
as it seemed the billowing smoke would obscure the vehicle
completely, the wind shifted just enough Liam could still see most of
the action.

The turret swiveled left, facing the large tunnel they'd just
evacuated. There were zombies pouring forth from it like a broken
sewer pipe now.

Do it!

The tank's machine gun barked above all the other gunfire in the
area, and ripped viciously into the mass of lost humanity near and
inside the tunnel. The tank had positioned itself perfectly to shoot
inside the dark space. Liam wondered how many sick people each shell
would pass through. Would a bullet reach the other end of the long
tunnel, passing through zombie after zombie the whole length? The gun
pounded in short bursts for maybe thirty seconds.

For its final act, the tank threw one shell from its main gun into
the tunnel. Liam couldn't tell whether it killed anyone inside; the
explosion happened somewhere deep in the blackness. The guttural boom
of the gun was louder than the report of the shell detonating. The
concussion caused incredible turbulence of smoke and debris around
the hull of the tank, as if the whole thing was trying to shake off
the blood and wreckage coating it.

The turret began to swivel back to the forward position. Liam
watched as the hatch on top was opened briefly by a tanker, and he
looked in Liam's direction, giving a thumbs up sign. Then the tank
jerked forward, the hatch dropped, and it was moving away. It pulled
the smoke screen like a curtain behind it. For just a moment Liam
couldn't see any movement in that direction.

The Abrams tank had bought them a little time, plugging the hole
and confusing the pursuit. However, the wave of undead was still
there. And it wouldn't be long before the dead would be emerging as
the smoke dissipated.

Liam saw the final survivors coming down from above. A rare few
were police officers. Most were civilians with weapons. Some appeared
to be hunters with long guns or shotguns. Others were dressed in
black tactical gear, as if they were trying to be stealthy. And still
others were flamboyantly dressed in wife beater t-shirts and ripped
jeans. If Liam allowed himself to be un-PC, he pictured them as drug
dealers, pimps, and the like. But, with zombies not far behind, they
were all working together to try to exfiltrate the park, just like
Liam's party. Just like everyone left alive here.

The captain was nearly at the tunnel when he stopped and turned
around, urging his party to run harder for the safe haven in front of
them. Liam was encouraged by his presence, but the look on his face
as he peered back to where they came from made him once again feel a
wobble in the pit of his stomach. He chanced a look back too; the
smokescreen was nearly gone.

He saw scores of infected pouring out from the railroad tunnel
behind them. Even after the terrible damage inflicted by the tank,
more took the place of the fallen. The bright daylight made the blood
on their faces, arms, and chests stand out so much more. The confines
of the railroad grade ensured they would all funnel in the one
direction they could see food—right to Liam and his
compatriots.

Liam pushed the wheelchair to save his life.

2

The captain resumed running into the small tunnel ahead. There
were already a good number of people holed up in there, including
some with weapons. After some quick words, Liam saw how the captain
arranged those with rifles along the two sides of the opening so they
could protect the flanks of the group running in. It wasn't long
before the first shots from up ahead rang out. Liam wasn't willing to
turn around to see if anything was hit. He was too close to the goal
now.

Liam watched ahead and witnessed Hayes as he beat Liam and
Victoria by a full minute, gaining the tunnel near the front of the
group. Apparently he wanted nothing to do with the slow pokes like
Liam's trio.

Grandma was wheeled in among the very rear of the group, though
several women and children were behind them. At the very back a few
policemen were pulling rear guard duty, preceded by the grievously
wounded officers from the museum who were being carried slowly by two
of the biggest officers—including Jones.

They were moving too slow.

Any fool could see there would be too many zombies for the group
to hold off, but still they kept shooting and reloading. Perhaps if
they backed everyone into the tunnel and stood shoulder to shoulder?

Liam felt for his gun and considered going to the back to try to
help, but knew he was woefully under-prepared for what was happening.
He was happy to see the police give the thumbs up sign to someone
above them on the outside of the tunnel. The captain motioned for
them to come down while his men continued to pour lead into the
infected crowd closing the distance.

The first guy to come down from just above the tunnel exit was a
gang member. Liam could see him hang off the ten foot wall holding
back the soil at the entrance and then drop down. He was dressed in
jeans with his underwear showing in a silly fashion. He was carrying
the distinctive AK-47 rifle. Once down he took up a position at the
front of the tunnel with the remaining police officers and began
adding his weapon to the defense of those inside. In small clumps
other gang members dropped in from above, as well as many civilians
with hunting rifles and other guns who Liam saw moments before
running like hell on the hill above them. The group was gaining
fighters like a snowball picks up snow. The tunnel was the only piece
of cover in this part of the park. Everyone who saw it, ran for it.

The original fight between the rogue gangs and the police was
pushed aside as life and death for everyone depended on getting as
many guns as possible aiming in the same direction.

Soon there was parity between firepower and incoming zombies
inside the channel of the railway culvert. Liam knew it wouldn't last
unless the sick stopped coming. Looking out the tunnel he could see
them swarming like locusts on the hill above. But it gave them
breathing room to plan their next step.

Liam made sure he was close to the captain so he would know before
everyone what was going to happen next. He wanted to make sure to
give Grandma every chance he could.

One of the gang guys was talking to the captain, as were several
“good ol' boys” with their camo-clad hunting outfits.