08-11-2016, 11:55 PM
With the new passengers aboard, Christa pressed her foot on the accelerator and the truck continued to lurch down the road. Abner had remained fairly quiet, on account of still feeling like hell. He’d even managed to not tell Okor, whose name he immediately recognized from Colonel’s account, to hurry it up, and instead listened to his speech. Progress towards patience.
The engine whined under the load of all the passengers, particularly the one made of solid metal and his matching plague-ridden ally. Abner couldn’t stop himself from reaching over and pressing the Tow/Haul button on the gear shifter, which allowed the truck to move only slightly easier. Abner wasn’t quite sure what to make of the look Christa gave him in response. She was driven, determined, focused. He figured it had everything to do with Katia, but he hadn’t found the time to get caught up with her developments during their separation. Indeed, the reunion hadn’t been quite as grand as he’d anticipated. Instead, they’d just kept pushing along, like usual.
They made it a short way down the road when they heard a booming crash near the census building. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much time to dwell on it, because the engine of the truck sputtered and gave out just over a block from their destination. Christa threw her good hand up as she looked at the instrument panel in frustration, and Abner looked to it as well.
“What’s wrong?” Red XIII asked from the backseat as the vehicle rolled to a stop.
“It fucking died on me,” Christa said as she tried to turn the ignition, only to be rewarded with a pitiful sputter for her effort.
“Pop the hood,” Abner said as he opened the door and stepped out of the vehicle, deciding to just take a look for himself.
“Why did we stop?” Hiro asked, happily leaping from the bed of the truck.
“Don’t know,” Abner said as he lifted the hood, and Hiro was quick to join him in surveying the engine compartment. “Just gave out.”
“Convenient timing,” Hiro lamented as he looked it over, wondering where to start on the repair job.
“I don’t think I’ve ever fixed a truck without a beer in one hand,” Abner dryly commented, and Hiro gave an immediate, yet sad, nod of understanding.
“We walk from here,” Okor made the executive decision as all the other passengers were exiting the stationary vehicle. The building was in sight after all, and it was a good idea to get out of the open.
There was a howl of some sort in the area. It was close, but unseen. Abner shot a wistful glance at the truck, not wanting to immediately abandon their transportation. Hopefully they could come back to a quick fix, or at least steal another one. A second howl stirred them into motion.
They hadn’t taken two collective steps with everything went south. Ghoulish zombies poured from the alleyways around them en masse, moving as fast as their rotting legs would allow. They were immediately met by gunfire from those armed with long range weaponry, but the numbers were overwhelming.
“Towards the building!” Colonel’s voice roared above the mayhem. “Go!”
“I’ll take point!” Deadpool cheerily volunteered as he lopped the head off of the nearest zombie to him and made a run towards the building. “I can’t put this post in the fortnight, anyway!”
Abner shook his head in confusion, but at the same time, he’d already learned to dismiss a lot of the man in red’s comments. He was far too occupied at the rear of the group, anyway, firing shot after shot from his rifle at the zombies that were rapidly closing the gap.
The ground rumbled, not just from the insane number of undead that filled the streets. Abner looked to his three o’clock to see a gigantic slab of rock soaring through the air in his direction. His cigarette fell from his mouth in surprise, and he dove into Christa to knock her out of the way as well. The ripped up piece of concrete impacted the side of building and burst into pebbles from the raw power of the throw.
Abner stood up and looked to the source of such a powerful attack. A gargantuan tank of a zombie was marching towards them. It looked like it had once been a normal sized individual, but its deformed muscles were bulging out of its decayed skin, making it well over twice the size of any normal individual. The beastly ghoul crouched down and ripped another piece of the road from the ground, and hurled it in their direction again.
The slab never made it to them that time, instead exploding from the air as a powerful explosion connected with it. The hulking zombie bashed its fists on the ground and charged forward, deciding to close the gap. At the same time Abner helped Christa up, noting that she was wincing in pain, due to landing on her bad wrist. He snarled in aggravation at the approaching behemoth.
“Colonel!” Abner shouted, letting his rifle fall and the sling catch it. He then pulled his shotgun out, deciding it would be more effective in the current situation. “Could use a hand with that one!”
“We’re on it,” Colonel said as he marched past Abner, already on the warpath. He snapped his beam emitter outwards, igniting his energy sword.
Abner watched as Colonel and Okor approached the charging tank zombie, but just as quickly looked back to Christa. She was gritting her teeth and fighting through the pain, so Abner figured they might as well move the hell along. He raised his shotgun and blasted a few more zombies that had tried to get between them and the others.
“Come on! We can hold out inside!” Abner said, moving through the carnage.
Gunfire echoed and blades tore through flesh as the group advanced. Abner continued to keep the path behind them somewhat clear as they neared the building, firing and pumping his shotgun as fast as he could. All he needed was to get to the building, and he could hold the line all night.
He looked back over his shoulder to see the front of the scattered group almost indoors. He racked another shell into the chamber and unleashed it into the closest zombie, hurling another corpse into the approaching crowd. Just a few more feet to go.
The engine whined under the load of all the passengers, particularly the one made of solid metal and his matching plague-ridden ally. Abner couldn’t stop himself from reaching over and pressing the Tow/Haul button on the gear shifter, which allowed the truck to move only slightly easier. Abner wasn’t quite sure what to make of the look Christa gave him in response. She was driven, determined, focused. He figured it had everything to do with Katia, but he hadn’t found the time to get caught up with her developments during their separation. Indeed, the reunion hadn’t been quite as grand as he’d anticipated. Instead, they’d just kept pushing along, like usual.
They made it a short way down the road when they heard a booming crash near the census building. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much time to dwell on it, because the engine of the truck sputtered and gave out just over a block from their destination. Christa threw her good hand up as she looked at the instrument panel in frustration, and Abner looked to it as well.
“What’s wrong?” Red XIII asked from the backseat as the vehicle rolled to a stop.
“It fucking died on me,” Christa said as she tried to turn the ignition, only to be rewarded with a pitiful sputter for her effort.
“Pop the hood,” Abner said as he opened the door and stepped out of the vehicle, deciding to just take a look for himself.
“Why did we stop?” Hiro asked, happily leaping from the bed of the truck.
“Don’t know,” Abner said as he lifted the hood, and Hiro was quick to join him in surveying the engine compartment. “Just gave out.”
“Convenient timing,” Hiro lamented as he looked it over, wondering where to start on the repair job.
“I don’t think I’ve ever fixed a truck without a beer in one hand,” Abner dryly commented, and Hiro gave an immediate, yet sad, nod of understanding.
“We walk from here,” Okor made the executive decision as all the other passengers were exiting the stationary vehicle. The building was in sight after all, and it was a good idea to get out of the open.
There was a howl of some sort in the area. It was close, but unseen. Abner shot a wistful glance at the truck, not wanting to immediately abandon their transportation. Hopefully they could come back to a quick fix, or at least steal another one. A second howl stirred them into motion.
They hadn’t taken two collective steps with everything went south. Ghoulish zombies poured from the alleyways around them en masse, moving as fast as their rotting legs would allow. They were immediately met by gunfire from those armed with long range weaponry, but the numbers were overwhelming.
“Towards the building!” Colonel’s voice roared above the mayhem. “Go!”
“I’ll take point!” Deadpool cheerily volunteered as he lopped the head off of the nearest zombie to him and made a run towards the building. “I can’t put this post in the fortnight, anyway!”
Abner shook his head in confusion, but at the same time, he’d already learned to dismiss a lot of the man in red’s comments. He was far too occupied at the rear of the group, anyway, firing shot after shot from his rifle at the zombies that were rapidly closing the gap.
The ground rumbled, not just from the insane number of undead that filled the streets. Abner looked to his three o’clock to see a gigantic slab of rock soaring through the air in his direction. His cigarette fell from his mouth in surprise, and he dove into Christa to knock her out of the way as well. The ripped up piece of concrete impacted the side of building and burst into pebbles from the raw power of the throw.
Abner stood up and looked to the source of such a powerful attack. A gargantuan tank of a zombie was marching towards them. It looked like it had once been a normal sized individual, but its deformed muscles were bulging out of its decayed skin, making it well over twice the size of any normal individual. The beastly ghoul crouched down and ripped another piece of the road from the ground, and hurled it in their direction again.
The slab never made it to them that time, instead exploding from the air as a powerful explosion connected with it. The hulking zombie bashed its fists on the ground and charged forward, deciding to close the gap. At the same time Abner helped Christa up, noting that she was wincing in pain, due to landing on her bad wrist. He snarled in aggravation at the approaching behemoth.
“Colonel!” Abner shouted, letting his rifle fall and the sling catch it. He then pulled his shotgun out, deciding it would be more effective in the current situation. “Could use a hand with that one!”
“We’re on it,” Colonel said as he marched past Abner, already on the warpath. He snapped his beam emitter outwards, igniting his energy sword.
Abner watched as Colonel and Okor approached the charging tank zombie, but just as quickly looked back to Christa. She was gritting her teeth and fighting through the pain, so Abner figured they might as well move the hell along. He raised his shotgun and blasted a few more zombies that had tried to get between them and the others.
“Come on! We can hold out inside!” Abner said, moving through the carnage.
Gunfire echoed and blades tore through flesh as the group advanced. Abner continued to keep the path behind them somewhat clear as they neared the building, firing and pumping his shotgun as fast as he could. All he needed was to get to the building, and he could hold the line all night.
He looked back over his shoulder to see the front of the scattered group almost indoors. He racked another shell into the chamber and unleashed it into the closest zombie, hurling another corpse into the approaching crowd. Just a few more feet to go.