[10-15] The Docks

[Kenpachi Zaraki]

The gaggle of fleeing survivors hurried hastily down the pier as the horde continued to surge behind them, threatening to swallow them up. Though Abner’s tactical barrier had stymied their assault somewhat, the swarm of flesh-eaters seemed to be never-ending. Adding insult to injury, the ghouls seemed only to grow more frenzied and desperate as they neared their escape vessel. Karl and his wounded entourage scrambled down the pier, the ex-trooper taking potshots at the airborne attackers while the hulking plague marine crashed through their ranks like a living plow. Red offered what little help he could afford, discharging pyrotechnics from his open maw as he limped beside his comrades.

“Get in!” a voice cried from the rooftop of the boathouse as they neared. Nanaki glanced up to see a haggard redhead gazing down at them, makeshift firearm in-hand. His eyes plead urgency as he hastily reloaded his gun, losing its explosive payload to their flank. They quickly piled through the doorway as the explosion rocked the dock, the sounds of perishing undead music to their ears.

”Go,” Okor urged, slamming the door tight and bracing it with his enormous weight. His sole remaining arm took up a nearby harpoon gun, firing a serrated spear through one of the many holes in the building’s walls. 

Red staggered to stand near the door, body braced against the collapsing wall as he fought oxygen into his lungs. The hours up hours of running on empty were finally catching up to him, blood loss and muscle fatigue conspiring to nearly bring him to the ground despite the literal avatars of death now nipping at his heels. Adrenaline could only carry one so far.

“You alright?” The ex-trooper asked, taking a break from unloading rounds from his sidearm to gaze down at his primal companion, now nearly prone on the dirty floor. “Here,” he said, retrieving a bottle of clear fluid from his pocket. The container’s label bore the text ‘Crystal Pepsi’ in colorful letters, doing nothing to help Red understand its contents. Abner quickly removed the cap, lowering the neck of the bottle to rest against the feline’s lips. “It’s not water, but it’s all I have.” 

“Thank you,” the burgundy beast rasped, lapping up the sickly sweet concoction. Though the flavor immediately brought with it the urge to retch, he soon felt a surge of energy in his limbs. Whatever apothecary had crafted the elixir would have his thanks. Though far from a replacement for rest, it would have to do. 

”No time for...Chatter," the monstrous marine commented, pounding the butt of his firearm down to splinter the arm of a particularly unlucky undead. With a nod, both soldier and feline made haste up the stairs to the upper level.

“Took you guys long enough,” Nanaki heard as they reached the top of the stairs. A pale young girl clad in a ripped t-shirt--confusingly, advertising some sort of guided blimp--smirked at them before launching a vibrant crimson lance through an airborne horror. Over her shoulder the carmine cat saw that the numbers of their foes seemed to have somehow doubled despite Wade’s adorable explosive ordnance.

“SHIT!” A voice called from above. “There’re too many!” The cries of the voracious rotwalkers threatened to drown out all sound as they pounded their bony fists upon the woodwork, crawling upon each other like insects as they attempted to breach the walls. 

Nanaki swallowed hard as he stepped onto the balcony beside the pasty spellcaster. Their odds were shrinking by the second as the rest of the crew attempted to fortify the building while Karl and his escorts attempted to get the boat running. From below, the feline could hear wood splintering as the ghouls greedily tore the walls apart, each second bringing them closer to entrance. The survivors would need just a little more time; As with most things, if Omni would not provide it, they’d need to make their own.

“Fire another shot close to the wall,” Red advised, making eye contact with the gunman on the roof. He waited for the boy’s nod before glancing to the dirigible enthusiast next. “Do anything you can you keep them off of the walls.” She too offered a brusque nod.

Nanaki limped forward toward the railing, staring down at the endless sea of hungering fiends. He heard gunshots behind him as Abner guarded his flank, obliterating the skull of a ghoul as it attempted to crest the balcony. Blue-and-gold  optics turned toward the heavens as he began channeling mako energy, spreading his jaws wide to harness an orb of pure destruction between them. Seconds ticked by as he charged the spell, a detonation below queuing his intervention as the ginger’s rocket detonated the pile of climbing zombies below. Showtime.

With a final guttural roar Red let the enormous crimson orb loose, turning away as it careened with terrifying speed toward the undead below. Half a beat later the projectile made contact with the landward end of the pier, detonating with an almighty BOOM. The asphalt at the shoreline was rent upward and backward, curling away from the hellish explosion as it rattled the dock. Smoke and debris filled the air as the wharf, now mostly unsupported, creaked and wobbled beneath the weight of the corpses and various steel containers. Its complaints were heard for but a moment before it collapsed unceremoniously into the sea. 

Using Abner’s SP item with his permission. 
+2 SP (Pepsi), -2 SP (Tier 2 Super: Cosmo Memory); Net of 2/4 remaining
1616 words, both posts.