Shavian knew that she was going to need to take the lead on this one; everyone was trying to play it careful. It was very clear at this point that careful hadn’t gotten them anything but more trouble. She’d never admit it to him, but some of Elliott’s most reckless moves, like trying to break out of jail, had saved their lives. On the other hand, the idea of kidnapping her and dragging her to Portland towards the danger then saying he was trying to keep her safe wasn’t a good one. She’d admit that one anytime.
The rest of the group was still trying to think up their plan. She started up run up the side still she met with the first of the undead resistance. They didn’t need a plan anymore, they needed action and it would be her job to make that happen. It always came down to her saving the day, and she had to save herself in the end too… well sort of.
“Shavian, slow down!” Elliott called out from behind her.
“Why would I do that?” she shouted back over the din of her rifle. “While you sit back there thinking about it, the room is filling with the damn demons!” Elliott whimpered as he tried to catch up with her.
“I don’t want to lose you again!” he said calling out desperately.
“I was never yours to lose,” she growled back, taking two more shots and dropping two more demons.
That seemed to punch him in the gut and he stopped, but Higgins was right on his heels and, using his pistol, the cop took down two more demons that had gotten around to the side of them. It really was getting thick in here.
Fipps on the other hand had gotten the truck really moving now, and even over the diesel engine you could hear the crunch of flesh and bone. Other demons tried to grip at the sides of the truck as it bounced over the bodies, the freshly started engine belching black smoke into the air.
Shavian took the time to climb onto the roof of a Hummer and shot at the thinning crowd, most of the mob moving to and trying to take down the M1117. She looked back to Elliott and Higgins. “Come on, if we make it to the office we can get the door open before the truck is completely overwhelmed.”
Roger not only had at last figured out how to turn off the safety, but he’d surprisingly figured out where the trigger was as well. “Yeah, yeah, right behind you,” he grumbled. McNabb went with him, covering his back.
Shavian didn’t have time to wait for them. Turning and jumping off the hood, she moved forward spraying bullets into the crowd before her. The wave went down easy, but she was starting to realize why a rifle wasn’t a good idea for close combat. An demon man in military fatigues jumped up from the ground, not as dead as she’d hoped. The demon was far too close for her to shoot and a jolt of panic flooded through her. This is not how she was supposed to go down. This wasn’t the mission God had for her.
She did what she’d always snorted with laughter about in movies- she winced and ducked her head. She heard the crunch and the scream and the splatter of blood.
Not dead. She blinked- she was looking down at a severed arm twitching in the bloody sleeve of a military fatigue.
She looked up to find Max was chewing on a second body. “Why are you still standing here,” Max said, spitting a hunk of flesh out to talk.
On shaky legs Shavian stumbled forward to reach the office door and turned the handle.