Junie tossed her mug to McNabb and he’d been forced to catch it or suffer being hit in the face with a grenade-launching coffee mug.
“Russian, Persian, what’s the difference really?” Junie said, an air far too light for the situation. She picked up Elliott’s legs and dragged the limp, unconscious man towards the back of the helicopter.
“There’s quite a difference really.” McNabb examined the cup and found scorch marks about the lip where the grenade launcher had gone off. Clearly the novelty cup not designed for the rugged needs of true combat. Still, once cleaned, it should preform once again as a coffee mug at least.
“Potato, poe-tate-toe. I don’t have time for this, Captain. That cup is dry and I need to keep Bob away. It’s time to move.”
“It’s General, actually.”
“Junie!” Aubrey whined. “You still haven’t told me what starts the engines and doesn’t blow us all to hell.”
“Spot,” Junie said, exasperated. The dog was chewing and worrying at Elliott’s sleeve. McNabb was rather sure the dog was doing nothing to help her. Spot looked up at Junie and there seemed to be a moment’s battle, two wills facing off. Giving in, Spot huffed and turned, leaping up into the cockpit with Aubrey. She squeaked as the shepherd climbed over her lap and eyed the control panel.
Roger regained his composure and walked over, shouldering his rifle. “There is no bloody way that mongrel knows how to read Russian.” He pointed at the cockpit.
Loud snaps filled the air then the whine of the turbines as they started to fire up. “No way.”
Pat barked and jumped as if in celebration. Jake, at last, had found the hatch for the troupe compartment and Fipps and Junie picked up Elliott and moved him to the back. McNabb watched them, but he soon felt that something wasn’t right. Something was itching at the back of his mind.
“General,” the voice hissed and he looked back to see Max watching him through droopy eyes.
“Where the…” He took two panicked steps back as she smiled showing bloody teeth.
“They are coming,” She looked up at the engines and then back to the building. The last lights of the dyeing compound showed a huge mass, like ants flooding from a shattered anthill.
“Oh sweet Jesus,” he whispered and moved quickly to help them get into the troupe compartment. Max walked over, pushing him back.
“No get in the front,” she rattled and took over.
He looked up and it seemed that Spot was at least somewhat as proficient as Junie at reading the controls; he’d paw at a console every time Aubrey asked him where something was. “Someone is going to have to explain that damn dog to me!” He moved to the gunner compartment and climbed in, closing hatch and putting on the headgear. He motioned for Aubrey to do the same.
She was distracted, but she at last looked down to see him and she reached back, grabbing the too-large flight helmet and stuffed it down over her auburn hair.
“What?” she said sounding more than a little flustered. Spot’s multi- colored eyes looked over the flight panel too.
“Not to put any extra pressure on you, but…” He pointed out at the complex. The mass was growing, angry and swarming.
Aubrey glared down at him and pulled a lever with a grunt. The heavy blades of the machine started to turn, the engine vibrating the whole fuselage. She looked smug and pulled the mike closer to her mouth so when she shouted it distorted. “Now if you don’t mind, I’m currently learning how to fly this helicopter from a dog.” She whipped the mike back and Spot lowered back out of sight.
McNabb was left with the helpless feeling as he watched the two swarms of undead meeting at the corner of the building: he knew they had only moments to live. Years of training, his whole life being in control, he’d kept himself alive through two wars. His lifespan could be measured in single digits, their future depended on a girl and her Cyrillic-reading dog.
The Hind was known for its perfect canopy view. He wished it wasn’t so perfect- he could see far too much! He pushed back into his seat trying to make some distance as the monsters ran at them from yards away. The logic that the glass was bulletproof didn’t mean anything to him right now.
Then, with just feet between them and the helicopter, the Hind jumped off the ground, not lifted, but honestly and truly jumped from its perch and hovered yards off the ground before dipping a heart-stopping second in hesitation. Then the massive machine caught and climbed higher in a slow spin. Now McNabb could see the zombies were everywhere. The pavement beneath them was covered, every one of them reaching for the sky, climbing over one another to try and get at them.
“Oh, thank god,” McNabb slumped in his seat and closed his eyes.
“Oh sure, I didn’t have anything to do with it at all,” Aubrey growled.