markson721

Chapter 2: Fire Fight


No way man, no damn way, Eric was pressing his hands to his head like he was trying to hold in his thoughts. There was no way what the Officer said could be true. He stared through the heavy set Officer in front of him and looked to the other two cops for a hint of the joke. Eric got only confirmation.
The young blond officer was backing up under the unrelenting press of Erics neighbors his shots frantic and hurried. Erics neighbors staggered as bullets tore into their bodies, shoulders jerking back from the impact but refusing to go down. Their bodies collapsing in at the stomach as the shots drove through them but kept lurching forward. The only time they stopped their march was when a frenzied bullet caught one of them in the head.
The lead officer with the short brown hair in a crew cut had his patrol car and the blond officers car between him as a barrier. He rested his arms on the roof of his patrol car giving his arms stability as he fired at the oncoming neighbors. His shots were much more controlled and disciplined. Eric watched in quick succession as three of five shots the lead officer took hit his neighbors in the head. They fell in their well manicured lawns and into the street, black congealed blood pouring out of their heads. As the rest of Erics neighbors moved towards them the reality of what the officer had said started sinking in.
Jenna was lurching from her front porch one ankle obviously twisted possibly broken. The injury looked painful but it was nothing compared to her torso. Eric could see most of the flesh of Jennas torso had been torn away or in all likelihood eaten if this was the zombie apocalypse. He could see three ribs stained red with blood under Jennas left arm and shredded parts of her vital organs wrestling to pour out of the hole in her side. Eric could see that of his neighbors who were still standing they all bore similar vicious wounds. Flesh rabidly torn from necks and shoulders, holes in stomachs and chests scatted among those lurching and jerking towards them.
The click of an empty chamber brought Eric back to his senses. The slide of the young officers gun sat open, the sign of a dry fired gun. The officer reached for a clip at his waist and when came up empty. He turned to the two officers looking for guidance. Officers didnt usually carry loose bullets in their vests. The young officers eyes strayed to the open car door looking for bullets, forgetting the world around him in his panic. He took two quick steps and dove into the car. Hooking the toe of his right boot in between the door and the handle he pulled the door shut behind him. The nearest of Erics dead neighbors only a handful of steps behind the young Officer.
The officer grabbed behind the drivers seat, Eric assumed to get a box of bullets. The hammer strike from Arnold, one of Erics elderly neighbors, splattering blood along the glass of the patrol cars passenger window as the zombie tried to break into the car chasing the young officer. The thing that was Arnold raised its fist to strike at the window again when a shot from the lead officer blew out the back of his head. Arnolds face hit the window of the patrol car and slide along the curve of the car towards the ground.
The young officer pushed open the door and spilled out keeping low to the ground to avoid his commanding officers shots. Eric couldnt see the young officer from behind the door but he assumed the officer was reloading at least one of his clips. He pulled the lead officers passenger door open a minute later and dove into it. The Lead officer strafed to the right clearing the driver door as the younger officer pushed it open and climbed out. The brown haired officer turned to his right and fired a shot at Jenna. The bullet took off the left side of her jaw but she kept staggering towards the cop cars. The lead officer sighted up and took another shot and punched a hole above Jennas right eye and she crumpled to the ground. Weve got to get moving Sanchez or were going to die out here. I told you this rescue mission was a bad idea, The lead officer was yelling over the sharp crash of gunfire spitting from his and the young officers guns.
The Hispanic Officer gently slapped the left side of Erics chin. He kid, anything we could use in your house to save our asses? Guns? Bullets? Gas? Anything?
Eric pulled his eyes away from the dozen bodies littering his street to look at the officer. I dont know, maybe. I dont know what you need. Eric tried to shake the cotton out of his head that was keeping his mind from thinking clearly. We can go in, you guys help yourself to whatever you want.
Sanchez, the lead officer barked as he struggled to push fresh bullets into this clip while the younger officer put his empty clip into a vest pocket while grabbing a fresh one. The young Officer was smart, he had reloaded all of his clips when he had taken shelter between the two patrol cars. Sanchez we need to leave, get somewhere secure. I doubt we have the bullets for this. The lead officer jammed the freshly loaded clip into his gun and pulled back the slide chambering a round. The lead officer turned to his left and fired two quick shots taking out a young couple walking across the yard of a quaint little yellow house. Both were head shots. Having cleared out the two nearest threats to his side of the car he pulled open the back door. Eric couldnt see what he did but he came up with another box of ammunition in hand and turned to the Hispanic officer standing in front of Eric. I guess were going to make our stand here if we can.
The young officer started moving left towards Eric and Sanchez firing three shots taking only one of Erics zombie neighbors down. Sanchez, on your right, the young officer yelled.
Sanchez turned to his right and squared up, his feet shoulder length apart as he fired a few shots and took down the two zombies that had brushed off the young officers bullets. The Hispanic officer turned back to Eric shoving him hard in the chest with his right hand, start firing kid or Im going to take that gun from you when Im out. Eric stood in silence of a moment staring into the dark eyes of the officer in front of him. Eric saw in the officers eyes the truth that if Eric didnt pull his weight and start pulling it soon the cops would leave him there to be torn to pieces and come back as one of the pathetic creatures stumbling towards them.
Eric pulled his gun up in a two handed grip that his grandfather had taught him almost twenty years earlier and fired taking out Arnolds wife who was pushing herself off the lawn where she had fallen when she tripped on the stairs of her and her husbands porch. Erics first shot was lucky; it tore through the old womans head which fell to the grass. Get inside I think I have some things we could use. Eric turned firing another shot that caught a neighbor he didnt know in the chest. The zombie jolted like a man with a seizure but stayed standing and started after them again a second later.
The lead Officer with the crew cut pushed the back of the young officer who broke from the cover of the patrol car and darted across the lawn towards Sanchez and Eric. He kept behind the two men using them and their barrage of fire as cover. He pushed Erics door open and moved to the right using the the door jamb as cover as he reloaded another clip.
The lead officer swung left aiming a family of seven zombies from the other end of the street lurching towards the patrol cars. He fired three shots before the gun slide jerked back and the trigger sounded an impotent click as the gun ran dry. Two of the zombies went down in heaps of decaying flesh, the third bullet flying wide of the mark. He swore and ducked behind the car and then following the younger officers lead sprinted towards the open door of the house. He gently tapped Erics hip as he ran behind him signaling Erics turn to run. Eric looked over his left shoulder as the lead officer took the five steps of the front porch in two strides and got into the house as the young officer swung around the jam and aimed. Eric and Officer Sanchez looked at each other out of their peripheral vision exchanging an unseen signal and then started shuffling left firing intermittently as zombies got close enough to be easy targets. Eric saw one zombie go down as a result of the half dozen shots he and Officer Sanchez took.
Eric awkwardly navigated the stairs of his porch nearly tripping towards the top and firing a stray bullet into the clear blue sky. He backpedalled through the doorway as Officer Sanchez darted in a second behind him. As soon as the heavy set officer was through the door the Officer crew cut and the young guy slammed the door shut and threw the deadbolt. Eric sucked in air like he was trying to drink a thick milkshake through the worlds thinnest straw. He had shot and killed one of his neighbors, a woman he had liked because he was told she was a zombie. Zombies werent real, they just werent. Eric loved the zombie T.V. shows. He had been a huge fan of zombie graphic novels since their debut and he had seen just about every zombie movie ever made including most of the B zombie movies. But the reality of what was shambling outside his house was terrifying. He thought of all his friends and co-workers and if they would survive. But most of his thoughts stayed with Lindsey. He silently prayed that the last conversation he had with her wasnt going to be an argument about the dishes.
We need to barricade the door, no telling how many more of those things are out there. We need some time to think. The lead officer was survey the room as he spoke. Sanchez reached down and helped Eric up to his feet.
The young officer came back from the kitchen and shook his head, I dont think this is a good idea Davis. I hear something downstairs making all kinds of noise. Worried was darkening the young officers eyes as he wiped away at sweat that was plastering his longer blond hair to his forehead.
Oh crap thats the dog, Eric charged towards the doorway of the kitchen. He jerked the door of the basement open and thundered down the stairs into the basement. At the foot of the stairs he turned his eyes to the right and saw his dog Baxter with his teeth clamped to the wire mesh of his kennel. Eric ran the dozen or so feet to the dog and inspected the kennel door.
At the sight of his owner who Baxter thought of as a litter mate he released the wire bars in his jaws and sat back on his haunches. He was a German short haired pointer and an Australian Sheppard mix and showed the intelligent of both breeds. Eric saw that while the door would still swing open the dog had used his time wisely and had almost bent the bars far enough apart to escape. Eric pulled open the door and hugged the dog as he shot out of the kennel. He playfully licked Erics face completely oblivious of the growing apocalypse outside his house.
Eric looped one under Baxters collar and started leading the dog out of the basement and up the stairs. The dog wore a smile on his face his tongue lolling out the right side of his mouth until Eric and he reached the top floor of the house. The dog stiffened as soon as they were in the kitchen and his ears fell back against his head. A growl began building deep in the canines chest but a look from Eric silenced the dog.
Eric and Baxter walked through the small kitchen and into the living room. They found that the officers had not been idle. Erics couch was pushed in front of the door and braced against it was the love seat. The two couches had been made to fit between the front door and the wall that made up the beginning of the upstairs hallway. Eric was confident that with as many zombies had he believed to be outside his door the barricade would hold. The house had been built in the early 50s when quality and craftsmanship had still meant something. Sanchez and the young officer was were sitting on the loveseat given the barricade even more strength.
The young officer turned to look at Eric and as his eyes fell on Baxter a little bit of the tension there drifted away. That the monster making all the noise downstairs?
Yeah, Eric responded. Hes a real terror this one. Baxter looked up at Eric with the dog smile and his tongue still dangling out of his mouth.
I bet he is. Come here boy. The officer waved a hand towards him and Baxter ever the good dog looked at Eric for permission before going to the stranger. Eric nodded and Baxter plodded over to the young officer. The young Officer scratched at Baxters head for a few moments then turned back to Eric, Im Officer Kirk by the way but I guess were beyond titles now seeing as how things are going to hell out there. You can just call me Ed.
Eric. Nice to meet you Ed, Eric walked over and took the seat on the long couch that was pressed against the love seat.
The lead officer with the brown crew cut came down the hallway and joined Eric and the two officers in the dining room. Eric, Im Officer Davis or just Davis if you want, the man fixed his hard grey eyes on Eric. This being your house I dont suppose you have any ideas about getting out of here without dying do you?