Chapter Four

CHAPTER FOUR

I’m in the middle of a nightmare when the screaming wakes me up.

                I bolt upright and look around through groggy eyes. There is nothing moving in our little house. Everyone is still in a deep slumber. No crickets are chirping outside, not since the Drailers were set loose. I feel for the cross against my chest and stroke it hesitantly. The calming feelings coming from it soothes me and I go to the small hole. I lift the cover and look outside.

                Lights blind me and floods the room. Some of the lighter sleepers shift but don’t wake. I close it a little and look out at an angle. Federation soldiers are running around and killing the Drailers. The monsters’ high pitched screams pierce my heart and I shut the cover of the hole. 

                Some of the others have woken up and are staring at me. I realize I’m sweating and staring at the hole. My breathing is rapid and uneven. I look towards Ryan who is still sound asleep. I crawl over to him and shake him awake. His eyelids open almost immediately to my touch and he stares into space for a moment. His eyes focus on me. Ryan sees I’m scared and sits up. Then he starts to hear the screams in the night.

                He stands up and starts waking the people up. Those who have woken are shaking the others and telling them to get up. Once everyone besides the little ones are awake, Ryan looks at Sean and Ian. They grab the guns and hand one to him and me. Ian knows the protocol for evacuation. He gets the eldest of the group and starts ushering them out the door with a couple young ones. He hands a man a gun. The man stares blankly at him until Ian says, “Just pull the trigger to shoot the Drailers.”

                Sean looks at Ryan for help. I pick up two toddlers and yell at the rest of the group to come with me. Sean looks at me for help when Ryan starts yelling.

                “Just come with me and protect our group,” I say. “Ryan will be behind us and help protect you too.”

                Once the rest of the little ones are awake, we all barge out the door and charge into the chaos.

                Plumes of smoke rise into the black, starless sky while fires burn bright with their hungry tongues eagerly raging across the ground. My mind is somewhere else as my legs carry me the way Ian and his group went. Drailers look at us curiously before their bodies go limp and they lay dead on the ground. The screams are deafening; the little ones join in with their own cries of horror. One of the women in our group stops suddenly. Her eyes go wide before the Drailer jumps onto her and starts ripping her face. Even before Sean can shoot the Drailer, we all know she’s dead. The group tries to ignore it, but the hatred for third degree Drailers burns bright in our hearts.

                And the hatred for the Federation grows.

                A Drailer comes charging across our path on fire. He looks like a candle melting, but his eyes scream at me to help him. The little humanity I see in him makes me stumble. I almost lose my grip on the children, but a boy of about twelve pushes me back up and screams at me to keep running.

                Ian’s group comes into view and I can see he’s lost at least one or two. He can’t keep control of the elderly. They break off and start running around like headless chickens. He grabs one by the shirt and tells him to run to the sand dunes. The man starts shaking but makes his way slowly to the dunes. Ian turns to look back at us. He isn’t scared, he’s angry.

                “Get them to safety, Sloane. They need a woman more than a man.”

                I shake my head and grab his shoulder. “You’re coming with me, Ian,” I growl. “Don’t throw your life away.”

                He gives me an easy smile. “You have Sean and Ryan. They’ll help you.”

                Tears touch my eyes. “I’ll never forgive you.”

                Ian tips my chin and kisses me on the forehead. “So long. See you in heaven.”

                He charges ahead and starts shooting wildly at the Drailers and Federation soldiers alike. They seem shocked at first, but recover. Both sides start to close in on him, distracting them from our group. Ian takes out his three knives and throws one into a Drailers head. The monster falls to the ground. Ian puts a knife in each hand and starts slicing every single body he lays eyes on. He runs for a group of Drailers and starts slashing at them furiously. One of the Drailers bites him on the shoulder. He stabs the Drailer in the shoulder and stumbles. Ian rolls with the impact and throws one knife into the Drailers heart. He runs to retrieve it and charges back into the chaos. The Federation gets their hands on him first and one slices him in the chest. Ian falls to the ground. I know he’s dead. I would know if he weren’t.

                Soldiers start returning to the Drailers and attacking them. Drailers all around turn their attention back to us. I turn my attention from Ian, tears streaking my dirty cheeks, and lead the group to the dunes.

                Ryan closes in the gap behind me and shoots a Drailer in the neck. It drops right in front of me. I trip on it and drop the two kids I’m carrying. A Drailer picks one up in its dirty claws and looks up at me.

                Her eyes are bloodshot and murderous. “You’ll all be dead by morning.” She slashes the baby’s body. “I’ll make sure of that.”

                She tries to go for the other kid. I push myself off the ground and tackle her. She elbows me in the face and digs her nails into it. I kick her in the chest and lock my fists together. I swing my double fist into her temple and she drops a little. I bring my knee up to her nose and as her head swings back, I turn my hand palm up and hit the bottom of her nose. She drops to the ground, her nose shoved into her brain.

                The toddler I was carrying is sobbing. I pick her up and start running towards the dunes. The group is way ahead of me as I run. Federation soldiers start to run after me when they see me and the toddler in my arms. They yell at me to stop and go with them, seemingly not knowing who I am at the moment. The wind in my face blows the far towards the dunes. I pick up my pace and am about to reach the border of the city when a helicopter soars over my head.

                Before it happens I know what the helicopter’s going to do. I scream Ryan and Sean’s name. They stop, but the group keeps running. When Ryan sees the Feds coming up behind me he starts to run towards me. Sean, undecided, looks after the group then turns back. I wave at him to come over here with the group. Sean turns to the group and yells at them to get back. The rear part of the group hears him and they turn around. Sean waves at them to come back. They start to yell at the rest of the group and start beckoning them back to their protectors. They start running, Sean a good twenty meters ahead, with Ryan very close to me.

                That’s when half the group goes up in flames.

                A big thunderous boom rings out in the city. I cover the girl’s ears and drop to the ground. Ryan hits the dirt a few meters from me. Screams of pain and fear erupt over the city all over again. I look up to see sand falling back to the Earth and much of our group in flames. Sean is running back to the group. I shout his name. He stops and looks up at the helicopter. It’s making its way back towards us. Sean starts grabbing the people nearest to him and we start rushing towards the battle. The helicopter drops another small blast onto our group. Only about five of them burst into flames and die on the ground, burning. The helicopter lands a mile away from us and the Federation is thinning out the Drailers. More Federation soldiers are pouring into the city. One grabs hold of me and I start screaming. Ryan beats him off and starts pushing me back towards our safe house. Sean catches up to us with the remains of our group and we almost reach the house.

                Until five Federation soldiers grab me and the toddler. They put a gun to my head and look at Ryan. He snarls at them and bears his sharp teeth at them. Sean runs up behind Ryan and the rest of our group follows. Sean glares at the Federation soldiers but makes no move. The rest of the group is frozen, unable to move or comprehend what has just happened.

                “If you want her to live,” the soldier holding the gun said, “you will all come with us back to the base.”

                Ryan snarls at him again and almost lunges at him. Sean and two other men restrain him and nod at the soldier.

                “We accept,” Sean says calmly.

                The soldier keeps the gun to my head and pushes me towards the helicopter. I thrash and scream. The toddler in my one arm starts to cry and scream with me. Ryan is roaring and fighting against the men holding him to get to me. The Federation soldiers lead them to a different location and the toddler and I are left alone to face the rest of the Federation by ourselves.