A Thousand Nights with You - 26. Flying by night

“THE BARRICADE IS BREACHED!”

We heard the shouting outside and we rushed out of the tent immediately.

The barricade is in chaos right now. Somehow, one of the infected got up to the barricade and grabbed one of the soldiers. The commander pulled him back up, not knowing that he was already bitten. A few of the soldiers trying to subdue him was bitten as well. With the captain gone, the soldiers are torn between shooting the horde ahead and the comrades next to them

The infected ones are no longer trickling across the rubbles. With the snipers distracted, they are coming in by the dozens now.

I rushed forward with the rest to see the situation up close. The elevated barricade platform is not built to accommodate so many people. There are already two sniper platoons taking the frontline in rotation. The guard commander sent another platoon up to contain the chaos created by the breach, but it only made things worse. With so many people up there, the ones who turned can easily bite the ones next to them. The rest doesn’t even have room to escape. By now, a sizeable mass of the infected are already amassing in front of the barricade. They are coming faster than the snipers can thin them out.

I tried to enter the hive mind and control the newly infected.

Damned.

The drug is still working. With the hunger suppressed, I can’t get inside the hive mind. At this rate, they are going to swarm in. How I wish Mark is around right now. What will he do if he is here? There’s nothing -

Wait. I can.

They still won’t attack me. And I know who the tainted ones are.

Two have already turned and three are struggling with them. The soldiers at the back line can’t shoot without risking the ones on the barricade platform getting caught in the line of fire.

“No, wait!” I was too late to stop Grey and his platoon from going up the barricade. I followed him immediately.

From their scent, I can tell that nine were already tainted but so far a few were turned. The other soldiers can’t tell because of all that splattered blood on everyone’s uniforms. They have no time to check who was bitten.

Grey and his platoon is busy putting down the ones who are already turned. But they keep popping faster than they can handle. One of the bitten ones is starting to twitch his eyes. I ran forth and snapped his neck.

“WHAT THE FUCK?” His surviving comrade turned his rifle at me.

Grey stopped him when he saw another three started to convulse uncontrollably.

“Put them down now!” He ordered.

No one moved.

At first I didn’t know why, but I saw the company emblem sewn on their uniforms. Those were not soldiers whom they barely know. They are brothers in arms, friends who shed blood and tears together.

I understand that feeling. But at this rate, the whole barricade is going to get bitten.

Some of the soldiers are still shooting at the horde when I broke their necks. I moved around swiftly, slithering through the tight spaces with my petite frame.

I killed them even before they start to convulse. Some were utterly shocked when I suddenly appear next to them like a ghost. By the time I was finished, I was drenched in cold sweat. The barricade is so not so crowded now with so many dropped to their deaths.

I tried to catch my breath. Then I realize everyone was staring at me, especially Grey. He looked as if he doesn’t know me anymore.

One of the older soldiers kneeled down beside the corpse of a younger boy. I didn’t see them closely when I killed them. He is not much older than me. The man cradled the boy’s broken neck gently. I saw their faces and was horrified by their resemblances. That was his son that I killed.

He was crying when he raised his gun. I thought he was going to shoot me. Grey moved towards him quickly but he was too slow. The old soldier shot himself in the head.

Grey’s stared at the corpses for a moment. His eyes steeled and his jaws were clenched. He looked like he was going to explode. Behind him, a few combat medics stood and glared at me in pure hatred. They are holding the amputation saws and morphine kits. Those people could have been amputated and saved.

“Grey, I… I’m sorry.”

He puts up a hand to stop me from saying thing more.

Maybe there is time to save them. I could have point them out instead of just dropping them like flies. At that time, I was afraid that with or without the hunger, I have already become a monster.

He took a few deep breaths and ordered the fallen snipers to be replaced. Then he turned to me, eyes steeled and nostrils flared.

“How are we going to end this?” He said.

I looked at the rubbles ahead. The three dark ones must still be behind there leading the horde. With the medication still in effect, I can’t sense them through the hive mind. And I definitely can’t take them out in a direct fight either. I surveyed the surroundings and saw the missing chunk of rocks by the cliff wall where it was blown off to block the advance of the horde.

“I need your best sniper.” I said.

Grey looked at me. For a moment, I thought he was about to say that I just killed his best sniper or something. But instead he said, “That would be Tristan.”

With the breach contained and the snipers replaced, the barricade is holding on for now. Major Payne ordered another dozen soldiers, armed with hand guns to contain the situation if any breach occurs again. The sniper squad strength at the barricade is now doubled. The backup sniper platoon is ordered to help the frontline load their magazines while they fire. Once the firing squad shows signs of fatigue – their aim is deteriorating, the backup will take over the shooting.

With the new combat arrangements, the infected are being taken out faster. The horde before the barricade hasn’t thinned out, but at least it’s not growing in size. They are at an impasse for now, at least until their ammunitions run out.

Tristan arrived at the barricade looking dazed until he saw me. Two soldiers were escorting him. He is on a death row, but yet he flashes a goofy grin like he got caught shoplifting or something.

“You idiot!” I hit him on the chest.

He looked a bit surprised by my outburst.

“Stupid dork!” I shouted again. “You made me come all the way here to save your sorry ass!”

I was about to hit him again, but my brother just hugged me.

“This ass ain’t sorry at all.” He said. “Good to have you back, Dan.”

We made our way up, climbing to the side of the cliff wall that overlooks the mountain road. Below us, we can see the horde swarming across the rubble. By now, the corpses have stacked so high that it became a slope that the infected could easily get over.

My brother helped me to the edge of the cliff. I am afraid of heights, especially without the Hunger to distract me.

“What do you want me to do?” Tristan lies on his belly on the flat side of a large rock. I could barely bring myself to look down.

“There are three super-blackies down there, shoot them.” I said.

“Where are they? There are so many black ones around.” He shuts an eye and squinted through the rifle scope. We are at least a few hundred yards above the horde. It’s not easy to tell the difference between the dark ones and the normal black skinned sprinters.

I borrowed the binoculars from the escorting soldiers. Then I looked down and said to him.

“They are standing on rocks, hands out to the sky like they are praying.”

It took a while for my brother to find their location. It’s like spotting a person on the other side of a stadium in the middle of a baseball match. But fortunately for us, the dark ones made themselves conspicuous. They are standing on top of rocks to stay away from the mad rush of the herd.

“Are you sure you can take them down from this far?” I said. If Tristan missed, they might try to hide. It would be a lot harder to take them down once they melt into the crowd.

My brother looks up to me and said, “This baby here is a L115A3. It can take out a snail from a mile away.”

Tristan took a minute to fix the position of his long range rifle. He memorized the location of all three before he fires.

Then pop.

Suddenly, one of the dark ones dropped from the rocks. The other two hadn’t notice the third one was missing, they are deep inside the hive mind. When the second one was shot, Tristan missed him by an inch. It got him on the shoulders instead. They are aware that someone is targeting them now. It took Tristan another five seconds to take it down with a second shot. But by that time, the third one is melting into the crowd.

“Don’t let it get away!” I gasped.

“Damn it! I lost him.”

Tristan is almost halfway over the edge of the cliff but he still can’t find him. At that moment, I can feel the rage inside me welling up. The world is starting to look like it’s tainted with blood. I could feel the hive mind descending slowly. The medication is wearing off.

“Give me the rifle.”

I might be able to sense the location of the last one. But that also means I won’t be able to control my finger to pull that trigger soon. I have to hurry. The dark one is retreating down the mountain. I looked through the sniper scope and tried to follow it.

BANG!

I missed. I took down the grey one beside it instead.

BANG! BANG!

I fired two shots in quick succession, but it is moving too fast.

“Don’t fire at him, fire at where he will be.” Tristan said. That’s why he’s the best sniper around here. Moving targets are the hardest to shoot. But I can anticipate its movement through the hive mind.

Damn it.

The dark one sensed my intention and it moved close to the cliff wall. I have to move further out of the cliff edge.

“Hold on to my legs! Don’t let me fall.” I told Tristan as I move out and bend down at the waist. All the blood is flowing into my head. I have problems keeping the rifle stable while I shoot. The recoil made it goes off trajectory and I missed another three times.

By then, the dark one is already halfway down the mountain road. It is further, but the distance makes it easier for me to the rifle better. I took a deep breath, and with the red film descending, I let my instincts take over.

I fired the shot. And I felt its presence disappear in the hive mind.

It is finally dead.

With the dark ones gone, the horde advance more haphazardly. Some lost balance and fell off the cliff. But with the pile of corpses, the infected is still getting across the rubble easily. With or without the dark ones, the horde is pressing on with the onslaught, hungering for their meals. Tristan and I rushed back down to the barricade.

The situation hadn’t abated much below. There are still too many of them coming across for the snipers to handle. We got up the platform and walked towards Grey.

“They are still swarming us!” He shouted over the firing. “We need to thin them out quickly.”

I enter the hive mind and hold off as many as I can, making them walk in circles. It slows down the advance enough for the frontline snipers to take down the ones that are already attacking the barricade foundations. I pushed myself and keep up the advance for as long as possible. It is draining my will constantly.

It took quite a while to thin them out. But by now, the corpses are starting to pile, which means they can climb up to the barricade soon.

“You need to get rid of the corpses below.” I said to Grey.

The fastest way is to douse them with gasoline and burn them. But they are too close to the barricade for the soldiers to do that. Grey said that we have to clear the corpses at the rubbles instead. Once they are burnt, they won’t be able to swarm the barricade so quickly. This gives them time to clear the bodies directly in front.

None of the soldiers are willing to go down with me after they saw what I did to their comrades. Grey had to send Peter and Tristan to go out of the barricade to do the burning. I cloaked them from the horde, walking along the cliff wall so that we don’t get caught in the line of fire.

“I can’t keep all of them away.” I warned them as they followed me.

“I got this.” Peter nodded to Tristan as he took out his hand guns. My brother carried a large flamethrower on his back.

My lucidity is rapidly slipping away. By that time, it gets harder and harder to be near the both of them. Everything is in red now, even their outlines are blurring. I have to end this quickly before my mind is lost forever.

I couldn’t tell how I got up to the top of the rubbles. Someone must have helped me. I felt hands.

Keep away!

I still remember what I am doing here even though I totally lost all sense of bearing right now. Everything is completely red, I can only tell their distance by their scent now. Two aromatic scents are close to me. I just need to keep the sterile ones away.

Good scent close. Bad scent away.

The whole world is drowned in blood.

Good scent. They are mine. All mine.

Daniel, stop!

It feels like Mark is talking in my head. But I’m not sure. Right now, I can only hear the hunger.

“DANIEL, STOP IT!”

A few hands are on me - two pairs, then three, then four. I smell smoke and intense heat.

Then a jab.

And then darkness.

***

Day 300

It was after midnight by the time I wake up. Or so says the clock. Who needs clocks these days? I am on a stretcher inside a tent. People are arguing outside.

Why is that thing still here?

He killed Greg! I… I killed someone?

Greg’s bitten, we didn’t know that back -

But we saw him attack Peter! He shouldn’t be here!

I sat up and find Grace tending to a few other injured soldiers. They were burnt.

“What happened?” I asked her as she kneeled down to take my temperature.

“You stopped the siege.” She said.

“I mean… why are they burnt?”

“You… went out of control when the corpses were put on fire. They tried to restrain you.”

I scanned across the tent and found Peter moaning in pain. Half of his face is horribly burnt. Then I saw Tristan lying on another stretcher unconscious.

“Shit… no…” I covered my mouth and cried. They are right. I shouldn’t be here at all. “Is he okay?”

Grace turned back and looked at Tristan, and then she said, “You gave him a good knock on the head. But he’ll live.”

I got up and walked over to see my brother. He has a few bruises on his face and swelling at the side of his head. But otherwise, he looks like he’s just asleep.

“You looked like you had wanted to do that for some time.” She flashes a lop-sided grin at me, “Don’t worry, I think he needs a good knock on his head too.”

We laughed softly.

“Tristan and I fight a lot; sometimes, over stupid things. But I was never able to do much damage.”

She runs her hand over my short stubbly hair. Mom used to do that when I’m sad.

“Our bodies heal, given time. But you will hurt a lot more by staying away.” Grace said. She knew what I was thinking. I shouldn’t be around here.

“Toughen up, kid. You made mistakes. But we all did.”

We got out of the tent. The bodies of the dead soldiers were laid neatly beside the bonfire. Some are crying beside them. It must be their family and friends.

“I wish there were more time to mourn. They needed that.” Grace said. They are still shooting over at the barricade. But the gunshots are much less frequent now. One or two goes off every other second.

She asked me to wait outside the large green tent. While waiting, two soldiers approach. One of them wants to walk up to me, but his comrade stopped him. He shrugged him off and came forward. I thought he’s going to hit me or something. But instead, he shone his flash light into my face.

“You are that zombie boy?” His eyes are glazed and his voice is distant. I didn’t reply him.

“Can you talk?” He asked.

“Let’s get out of here, bro.” The soldier shrugs off his comrade again.

“I can talk.” I said. He nodded like I had said something profound. Then he continued.

“For a moment up there, I thought I was going to die.” He said.

“You weren’t bitten.”

“No.” He shook his head, as if he wasn’t sure exactly what happened. “But I saw the thing bit Ricky. He shot it and pretended nothing happened. He was… just next to me. I didn’t even have the chance to say good bye.”

The soldier stared at me, silent for a moment without even blinking. Then he simply walks away. Grace returns from the tent. She saw what happened and shook her head.

“That one is gone.” She said.

“What do you mean ‘gone’?”

She taps a finger on her head and said, “We lost a lot of them like that in the school. They can’t deal with it. So they cracked. They aren’t allow to have guns anymore or they will waste the bullets to shoot themselves. Or worse, shoot the others.”

After that, we went in together. It is the temporary command post that they set up for the barricade siege. Major Payne was all over the map with a few of his captains and lieutenants. Grey is with them. They looked up when they saw me approach. I can’t decide if they are happy to see me in there or not. But I didn’t care.

“I had done my part of the deal.” I said to Major Payne.

He looked to Grace and a few of the other soldiers.

“So you have.” He takes out his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. I looked across the room and asked if something is wrong.

“Our ammunition is almost out. If the onslaught continues like this, we can at most last for another day or so.” Grey said to me.

If the barricade falls, so will the settlement. I won’t be able to keep my brother alive. Major Payne points to the map on the table, he said, “There is an air base about ten miles away from here. We need you to scavenge all the ammo you can find in the depot and bring it back.”

“How am I supposed to do that? I can’t drive. And the mountain road is blocked.” I said.

“You need a chopper. There might be some pilots who survived and holed up there.”

“Can’t your soldiers do that?” I asked. It sounds like a huge gamble. Besides, if the survivors can fly, they would have gotten out from that airbase long ago.

Major Payne looked around and sighed. “No, unfortunately we are a ground force. None of us –”

“No, wait Payne. We do have someone who can fly.”

“Grace, you can’t be serious.” Major Payne sighed.

At that moment, the entrance flap opens and an old woman came in with a toddler in her arms, wiping the milk from his mouth.

“Someone called for me?”

It is Sister Latoya.