Officer of the Dead

Chapter Six

"You shoot or you run, don't let them get close!" you hear Ronnie shout out as he removes his pistol from his belt. They begin shooting at the first row of the horde, they fall like dominos to the ground. There's so many of them that you're unable to even estimate the amount you're up against, but you know for sure there isn't enough ammo to take them all down. You break your glare and rush over to Steve and Katie.

"You gotta hurry up, Steve!" you shout in a state of panic, "the fence- it's fallen, they're coming!" you say as the trepidation races through you. Steve doesn't look up at you, as he continues trying to cut the fence as quickly as he can.

"I'M TRYING! I'M TRYING!" he shouts back, his hands shaking. You glance at Katie, who is now crying hysterically. You don't have time to comfort her as you rush back to the side of the building, the sound of gunshots still echoing loudly in the otherwise quiet night sky. You can see a mass of corpses on the ground that Ronnie and the others have managed to take down but it doesn't seem to have mattered, a large number of zombies are still entering the factory compound from the fallen fence.

"BACK UP!" you hear Ronnie shout to the others, they all begin stepping backward, lowering their guns as they create a distance between themselves and the horde. You wonder if they've run out of ammo or have very little left as Ronnie looks down towards you briefly. You can't make out his expression, but you can only assume it's not a good one giving the current predicament. You watch as he looks back at the incoming horde, their mass numbers easily outnumbering you all.

"LET'S GO!" Ronnie shouts to the others, abandoning their positions, you know they are powerless at holding the zombies back. They begin sprinting towards you as the slow-moving horde follows behind them. As the group reunites, you can see the terror in everyone's eyes. Alice rushes straight to her daughter's side, comforting her as she cries out hysterically. The twins are holding each other's hands whilst grasping a weapon in the other, preparing to fight till the last moment. Ronnie rushes towards Steve, he's shouting something incoherent at him but you can't make it out. Time seems to move in slow motion as noises blur together, you stand frozen on the spot, watching the horde get closer and closer. This must be your body completely overrun with fear, your fight or flight mode trying to kick in, except there is no option to run, and you know fighting is futile. For a moment it feels like your body and mind have completely given up, accepting the inevitable. A hand grabs your arm, shaking you from your trance.

"Come on, we need to go!" Ronnie shouts, pulling on your arm. You turn to see that Steve has managed to cut a hole just about big enough for the group to squeeze through. Steve gestures towards Katie and Alice to start climbing through the hole. Katie goes first, squeezing through with ease. She emerges on the side of the fence, raising herself to her feet, standing awkwardly as she awaits the rest of the group to climb through. As Alice begins climbing through the hole in the fence, you look up at Katie to see a zombie emerging from the wooded area behind her.

"Katie!!" You shout trying to let her know, but the zombie is already too close, it manages to grab her and sink its teeth into her neck before she's had a chance to defend herself. She screams out in pain, catching the attention of the rest of the group. You hear a loud gunshot from beside you, your ears ring as you turn to see Ronnie holding his pistol, having just shot at the zombie that attacked Katie, taking it down instantly. Alice begins screaming as she crawls through the fence and over to Katie.

"No, no, no no" she cries over and over again as she cradles a dying Katie in her arms. All you can hear is wailing from Alice and the moans of the dead becoming louder and louder as the horde closes in on you. Your heart races as you try and take in what's happening. Steve pushes himself through the fence to join his family, Lucy and Sarah follow behind him leaving you and Ronnie left to escape.