Whatever It Takes (17 page)

Sarah had been faster, however. She turned and squeezed the trigger of her shotgun. Earth shaking booms drove the beast away from her. Blood splattered the front of her hazmat helmet.

The beast dropped to the floor near her feet, twitching and twisting in place. It still seemed to be trying to lash out at her with claws crafted from chewed fingertips. Even the bloodied mouth continued to work nearly noiselessly to produce the inhuman sounds of the stalkers.

Percival swept his rifle down and squeezed the trigger twice. The first bullet splattered blood and brain matter across the floor, while the second ensured that the beast wouldn’t be getting up again. The stalker fell limp with the first bullet. Percival looked to Sarah.

She was shaking lightly.

He walked next to her and touched her shoulder. She jumped at his touch.

“Fuck,” she muttered.

“Later. I was originally going to say ‘we’re not going to do that here,’ but I’ve amended my opinion there.” Percival forced himself to smile, and hoped it rang out in his voice as well.

“I’m so, so, holding you to that.” Sarah wiped blood splatter away from the front of her hazmat helmet.

“Wha’s going on? What happened?” Carlos appeared in the doorway.

“Stalker. There’s probably more around here, so be careful.” Percival turned away from Sarah. She seemed shaken, but otherwise unharmed.

“Where’s Jessica and Morrbid?” Carlos asked.

“Study, I’m guessing.” Percival raised his rifle. Now that there was near silence, he could hear a soft whimpering coming from behind the closed doors that he guessed would lead to the study.

“Carlos, clear the door,” he ordered. “Sarah, cover me.”

Carlos nodded and moved to pull the door open. His hand closed on the latch.

Percival glanced at Sarah. She nodded, the hazmat helmet shifting ever so slightly with the gesture. He looked back to Carlos and nodded.

Carlos yanked the door open and a shot rang out. Sarah fell back away from Percival.

“Shit! Fucking hell,” Percival shouted. He spun on his heel to face Sarah but addressed Carlos. “You, shoot him if she’s hurt. Morrbid, put your goddamned gun down.”

Sarah was on the ground quivering as Percival crouched beside her. It didn’t take someone with a keen eyesight to see the bullet hole through her hazmat helmet. Percival pulled her helmet off, preparing himself for the worst.

The blood made Percival’s stomach turn over. A portion of the hazmat helmet was spattered with it, as was Sarah’s face from the right side over. Percival was comforted by her gentle whimper.

“Why… Why did he shoot me?” Sarah murmured. She was missing a chunk out of her right ear that was bleeding quite heavily.

“I don’t know. Probably thought you were a zombie,” Percival answered quietly, cradling her. “Can you get up?”

Sarah nodded. She sat up, slowly, then turned away from him and vomited.

“That’s alright. You’re going to be okay.” Percival gently rubbed Sarah’s back with one hand, the other dipped to his belt and tugged the radio off of it. He depressed the call button. “Karl, if Roy Joy and Andrina are willing to come inside now, we have a member in need of medical attention.”

“Two.” Morrbid’s voice from the study.

“Fuck you.” Percival released the button, then depressed it again. “Two people need it.”

“Is everything okay?” Karl’s voice crackled over the radio.

“Sarah’s been shot. It just nicked her ear though. Don’t know who else is hurt, or how bad. We’re in the kitchen.”

“Roger, we’re coming in,” Karl said.

Percival clipped the radio back onto his belt.

“Can you stand?” he asked.

“I feel sick and lightheaded.” Sarah shook lightly in his hold. “First I get jumped, then that asshole shoots me… It’s been a great day.”

“Good thing he’s a bad shot. Let’s get you up.” Percival slowly helped Sarah to her feet, and let her lean up against the island counter in the kitchen. “You’re going to be fine.”

“I’m sure.” Sarah turned away from him. She looked as though she might throw up again.

Karl appeared in the doorway. “Who’s hurt?”

“Help Sarah first, then Jessica. I am assuming.” Percival turned Sarah’s head back toward him. “Karl’s going to fix you up good as new.”

“Asshole shot me,” she muttered. “Karl, can I shoot him back?”

“Sure, hon. Let me see your ear and hold still. This is likely to sting.” Karl set to doctoring Sarah.

Percival stepped back to give Karl all the room he needed. He turned away and moved past Carlos and into the study. He looked down at Jessica. She was whimpering and cradling her left arm. He could see a set of holes near her shoulder and a fair portion of her arm was caked in blood.

Percival frowned. It was bad, and he suspected the stalker that had jumped Sarah was the one to blame. He pointed at Morrbid and crooked his finger in the universal ‘come here’ gesture.

“Come with me.” Percival waited just long enough for the other man to let his companion gently to the floor.

“I’ll be back, babe.” Morrbid stood and followed Percival out of the study and through the kitchen into the main entryway.

They passed Roy Joy and Andrina in the entryway. Percival kept walking into the living room. After Morrbid had followed him, he turned around to close the door.

“Is everything okay?” Andrina asked.

Percival closed the door and turned to face Morrbid. Rage and anger built up within Percival as he faced the former priest. He lashed out and snatched the hazmat helmet from the man’s head and followed it with a hook that crunched solidly into the man’s head.

Morrbid lurched to the side with the punch, stumbling two steps before regaining his balance. He rubbed his jaw where Percival’s fist had connected.

“Do you feel better?” Morrbid asked.

Percival took a step closer and slammed his fist into the bridge of Morrbid’s nose. There was a soft crunch.

Morrbid staggered back holding his nose as it began to leak blood. “First one was free.”

“You’re going to pay attention to what you’re shooting at,” Percival said. “Understand me?”

“I don’t give a flying fuck what you say.” Morrbid released his nose. It dripped crimson onto the hard wood floor.

“If you travel with us, you listen to what I say. No questions. You’re not carrying a gun until after we get back to campus.” Percival was amazed at how his voice sounded. He didn’t expect it to some out quite so authoritative.

“I eat punks like you for breakfast, asshole.” Morrbid threw a haymaker punch at Percival.

Percival dipped his head into it and allowed the punch to glance off the hard plastic of his helmet. He stepped into the man, grabbing his arm and the front of his black coat and threw him hard to the floor. He twisted the arm he still held so Morrbid rotated with his face on the ground. Those two semesters of Judo were finally paying off.

“Here you have two fucking choices. I recognize shooting Sarah was probably an accident. I still don’t want you carrying a gun, even if it was. So, your choices are: stay with my group and listen to my orders and we’ll do our best to protect you until we part ways. Or I break your arm right now, take the stuff that’s ours and send you and Jessica packing.” Percival was tired of this. He shouldn’t have to make such ultimatums. He was supposed to be helping people, saving people, not hurting them.

“What’s it going to be? I’m not in a patient mood.” Percival emphasized his impatience by pushing the other man’s arm in a way that would strain his elbow.

“Fuck,” Morrbid groaned, slapping his free hand down on the floor. “Fine, fine. Fuck, ow. Just let me go.”

Percival let up enough to force the man to roll over. Percival reached down and hit the quick release on his rifle sling. Percival then took the pistol from his thigh holster.

“You might get these back at the campus.” Percival stood over Morrbid for a moment. “Keep this in mind. I won’t tolerate it again.”

Percival walked away from the fallen man. He pulled the door open and stepped into the entryway.

“What happened in there, Mister Polz?” Andrina asked.

“Teaching of a lesson that I didn’t want to have to teach.” Percival pulled the door to the living room closed and walked to Andrina. He held the rifle and pistol out for her to take.

“You know I’m no good with a rifle,” Andrina said.

“Take it for safe keeping, please. And keep your wits about you, we found one stalker in here. There might be more.”

Andrina nodded slowly. “Sure.”

She stuffed the pistol into her jacket where Percival heard it clatter softly against her other pistol. Andrina was the only member of his team that chose not to wear a holster of some sort for their weapon. She was also the only person to restrict herself solely to a pistol.

“What happened in the kitchen?” Andrina asked.

Percival looked past her to Roy Joy who was staring at a picture of himself and his family. “Is he going to be okay?”

“You’re avoiding my question. I didn’t like it when you did that in my class, and I don’t like it here,” Andrina said. She looked to Roy Joy as well. “I don’t think it’s healthy that he’s here, but I do think he’s going to be okay.”

“Good.” Percival looked back to Andrina. “We nailed a stalker in the kitchen. But not before it tore up Jessica’s arm. Morrbid nearly killed Sarah.”

“How did that happen?”

“He shot at her. Probably thought she was the stalker. But those things don’t move upright most the time.” Percival shook his head. “I’m going to check on her. Right after I get her a new helmet.”

Percival opened the door to the living room, and took a step inside. Morrbid had shuffled himself up against the couch and was sitting against its back, holding his nose again.

“Come to beat me again?”

Percival didn’t bother dignifying the question with a response. He just picked up the discarded hazmat helmet and started back through the door.

“Hey!” Morrbid shouted. “That’s mine!”

“Doesn’t look like yours. Yours has a bullet hole in it.” Percival stepped through the door and closed it behind him. It effectively cut off whatever response Morrbid had intended to give.

“That wasn’t very nice,” Andrina said.

Percival walked past her without saying a word. He didn’t look at her. He knew it wasn’t nice, but he didn’t entirely care. He walked through the dining room and back into the kitchen. He kicked the corpse of the stalker as he walked past it on his way to Sarah.

“Got you a new helmet.” Percival set the hazmat helmet on the island counter next to her. Her face was still spattered with blood, and gore still stained her neck, but her ear had a neat bandage on it.

“What did you do with Morrbid?” Sarah looked at the hazmat helmet and back at him.

“Had a talk with him,” Percival said. He looked over his shoulder at Karl. “Would you look in on him once you’re done? I think I broke his nose.”

Karl just nodded.

“Must have been some talk,” Sarah said. She sounded slightly dreamy. “Did it go in your favor?”

“Helps to wear a helmet.” Percival knocked on the motorcycle helmet he’d yet to take off. “Are you okay?”

“I’m a little lightheaded, and feel nauseous. And my ear hurts like a bitch. But other than that, I’m fine. Really.” Sarah forced a smile.

“I’m going to check on Jessica. You be alright here by your lonesome for a moment?”

Sarah nodded.

Percival cupped her left cheek and smiled, though he knew she’d not see it. It made him feel better to see her doing better.

He turned and walked to the door to the study. Karl was taping the last bandage into place. He stood up and moved past Percival. He stopped beside Percival.

“She’s going to need stitches, or she may never use the arm again,” Karl muttered quietly.

Percival thought it was an overstatement. Likelihood was that she was infected by the claws of the stalker anyway.

“We’ll do it tonight after we check the rest of the house and toss the body of the stalker out.”

Karl nodded. “Where’s Morrbid?”

“Living room. Door to the right of the stairs.”

Karl nodded again and left.

Percival turned back to Jessica. She was stripped to the waist, sitting in her bra. Small individual bandages were plastered over four small wounds centered around her shoulder. The left arm was almost entirely bandaged.

Percival could imagine the stalker grabbing the woman with one clawed hand and ripping down her arm with the other.

“How’re you feeling?” he asked.

“How’s it look like I’m feeling?”

“Like shit. Want to correct me?”

Jessica shook her head. “You didn’t mentioned they liked to hide.”

“Think I did. Sorry it nailed you.” Percival was entirely honest on that note. He was sorry it had gotten her. If it hadn’t, he’d not had his altercation with Morrbid. It also meant she was likely now infected.

“Yeah, so am I. It fucked up my arm. Makes it rather difficult to shoot a gun.” Jessica made a lame attempt to lift the injured limb and didn’t get it very far. “Hey, don’t feel too bad about hittin’ Morrbid. He probably had it coming.”