I’ve Got You

CHAPTER 14

Any hope that the facilities inhabitants had of a quick and easy getaway had been dashed. No sooner had the Lieutenant General Yarran designated groups and assigned them to Jeeps, the infected hosts, driven by the sounds of panic had made their way past the secondary gates and begun to pound on the glass windows of the mess hall. Eris was in a group that consisted of herself, Dorian, James, Grimm and two other officers she had never met. Grimm had informed her their names were Riley and Jared. And he vouched for them as part of his scout group. After some convincing, Eris had allowed Dorian to be carried by Jared, while Riley supported James’s weight. Dorian had begun to cry as Grimm pulled Eris away from him and into his arms. “Don’t leave my side” he warned Jared “They can’t be separated”. Jared nodded. As the pounding intensified, Yarran gave permission for the groups to run to their Jeeps. Eris gripped Grimm tighter. “If I slow you down too much I want you to leave me. Just get Dorian out of here.” Grimm remembered James standing a mere arms length away from them and fought the urge to kiss her again. “I told you already... I’m not going anywhere without you”.

“Well we’d better go somewhere soon!” Riley called “They’re breaking through!”.

Grimm elbowed and shoved his way through the crowd, all sense of order had dissipated as people fought to be the first group out the doors. Eris kept her eye fixed on Jared and Dorian beside her, determined to not let her son out of her sight. Her eyes never left his. Even as she heard the first glass window shatter, giving out under the weight of the ravenous hosts, scrambling in for their next feed. Even as blood curdling screams were cut short and guttural snarls mixed in with the sound of tearing flesh. “Mum!” Dorian squealed

“Don’t look baby! Don’t look!” She warned. Her own voice cracking into a broken whine. The door to the mess hall was so close now. Eris bounced in Grimm’s arms as he kicked out at panicked civilian’s blocking their way out. He let Jared and Dorian pass through first, and finally, exiting the mess hall and with some space to move freely, the group broke into a run.

While there was more space in the corridors and they were able to push forward more quickly, the scene wasn’t much calmer. Civilians scrambled to and fro, trying to stick with their designated officers. Officers fired guns. The shots ringing loudly in the enclosed space, stinging Eris’s ears. Worst of all was, perhaps the sight of infected hosts, tackling anyone they managed to catch up to, sinking teeth into flesh, tearing and chomping. The wet squelch of blood oozing between gnashing teeth. And the sight of foaming mouths, extended in cannibalistic hunger made Eris’s stomach churn. Grimm jerked to a stop. Looking down, Eris saw a bony hand grasping at his shirt collar. The host it belonged to yanked him back, he stumbled, nearly dropping her. As he struggled to break free, Eris unsheathed her fathers old hunting knife from the band of her jeans and stabbed at their attacker, embedding the gleaming blade into the wild eye of the host. She withdrew the blade and swung more desperately, opening its throat. Clotted, dark blood oozed from the gaping wound. The host gurgled out one last desperate screech as it fell. Choking on its own blood. “Oh my god” Eris whispered in horror. She’d just murdered somebody. With her own hands she had taken someones life. Grimm regained his footing quickly and fought to catch up with Jared and Dorian, dodging lunging hosts as he went. And then he tripped over the mauled body of a young civilian woman. Grimm went sprawling, Dropping Eris. Her back arching as she rolled to a stop on the ground before him. She cried out in pain, curling in on herself. “Eris!” he screamed at her, as an infected host stumbled over her fallen body. Grabbing her hair and slamming her already concussed head repeatedly into the hard floor as she gripped its ears, trying her best to hold those snapping jaws at arms length and away from her face. She grunted. “Go! Just f*****g go!” she screamed at Grimm.

Grimm pushed himself up off the ground. Taking his rifle in his shaking hands he aimed. If he missed he would hit her. But if he tried to fight the host hand to hand, they would lose Dorian and miss the Jeep, or worse. Become entirely surrounded by hosts with no escape. That last thought spurred him into action and he fired once, missing his target, the bullet flew straight past it, carving a notch in the far wall. He roared in frustration, and tried again, this time, the bullet found its mark and blew the side of the hosts head away. Exposing the grey matter of its brain as Eris was showered with blood and bone fragments. She gagged, shoving the corpse off of her and forcing herself to stand. “Don’t carry me! Just pull me along! I can make it!” She demanded, reaching out for him, gasping through the pain. Grimm didn’t argue. Taking her hand in his they continued running.

Eris cried out in relief when they caught sight of Dorian and Jared again. “Where’s Dad?!” Dorian screamed over the noise. “Here mate!” James called as Riley hauled him towards them. “I’m here!”.

“Door is just up ahead. Then it’s straight through the quarantine room and outside where we park the Jeeps! We’re car 15. We need to keep moving. There’s one other group we’re sharing it with. I don’t trust their driver will wait for us if they get there first!”

“What are you waiting for, Then?! Move!” Grimm ordered. Swinging his rifle wildly at an approaching host. Denting the center of its balding, injured head. It fell, seizing at his feet. With any luck, the brain damage would put it out of everyone’s misery. He shoved Eris in front of him urging her on as they closed the distance to the door that led to the quarantine room. Bursting through, the sight was ghastly. Blood soaked the plastic coverings of the room and pooled on the floor. Three officers lay bleeding. Two were dead, one still clinging on to life by the fate’s thread. His hand reached toward Jared feebly. Jared kicked his hand away and shielded Dorian’s eyes as he screamed. The officers insides were exposed through a gaping hole in his stomach. He lay there, half eaten in a pool of blood, vomit and god knows what else. “S-s-shoot... P-please”. Blood spurted out of his mouth as he spoke, bubbling down his chin as his body jerked. Frantic officers and civilians alike ran past them to the safety of the Jeeps, having no time to pity the dying man they trampled on in their mad race for the Jeeps. Eris pitied him, though. Despite their time sensitive situation, when she realized no one had moved to show the officer mercy she lurched forward, and shaking, she drove the hunting knife down, spearing his throat with it. She held his hand as his eyes glazed over and he suffocated on the tidal wave of blood that sprayed from the open wound. His head bobbed as he mouthed the word: “Thank-”.

He died before he could finish, his hand falling from Eris’s. Suddenly heavy with the weight of death. “You’re welcome” Eris whispered through her sobs as she was hauled to her feet and pushed hard in the back as Grimm urged her forward.

***

Fresh air and warm late morning sun kissed Eris’s skin as they ran from the building towards the Jeeps. Eris hadn’t been outside since the outbreak almost four weeks prior. But she didn’t have time to bask or savour it. There didn’t seem to be many facility inhabitants left standing. Some of the Jeeps were gone. Most remained. It looked like many people didn’t even make it outside. The group ran towards their designated jeep filing in. Riley handed James over to Grimm who helped him and Eris in to the back of the Jeep. Eris immediately stretched her arms out for Dorian as Jared handed him over to her. He was trembling, his hands balled in to fists that pressed against his closed eyes as he rocked back and forth in her arms. Grimm followed them into the back with Jared as Riley took his place at the wheel and fired up the engine

“The other group assigned to this Jeep! We need to wait for them!” Eris screeched

“f**k that!” James yelled at her, earning him a clip around the back of the head by Grimm. “You don’t speak to her!” he warned before turning to Eris

“The hosts, they’ll hear the Jeep. We can’t stay”.

“Sasha is assigned to this Jeep! We aren’t going anywhere till she gets here!” Jared spat.

As if on queue A pretty woman with a strong physique came tumbling out of the entrance of the facility, backing up towards them. Two service pistols firing madly at the swarm of infected host that followed behind her and the civilian that had come running out with her. “Wait!” she screamed. Firing the last rounds and holstering her weapons before grabbing her civilian companion and hauling him towards the Jeep. “Jared! Thank god!” She yelled breathlessly as she shoved the man into the Jeep, hosts nipping at their heels. The civilian clambered in to the back of the Jeep and Jared reached out for Sasha. The moment her hand was in his, Riley pressed his foot to the floor, propelling the Jeep forward with a force that threw them all back. A host had a firm grip of Sasha’s leg, she kicked furiously at it to no avail. Seeing her struggle, Eris let go of Dorian, and swung the blade of the hunting knife, severing the hosts hand at the wrist. She fell back gasping as the Jeep hit a bump in the road. The adrenalin had kept her body moving without her noticing much pain up until that point. But the sharp bouncing of the Jeep reminded her just how damaged she was. “What? You bit? Sasha asked grabbing Eris’s arms and looking over her body for bite marks or open wounds. Grimm shook his head. “Extensive head and chest injuries from before the attack”. Sasha visibly relaxed. Leaning back she nodded at Eris. “Thanks”. Eris nodded back, now in so much pain she could barely get a word out. Sasha looked at Jared “Glad you made it”. Jared grinned

“I knew you would be”.