Emperor of a Dead World (33 page)

“There are creatures inside the building. I do not know how many. Do you have silencers?”

“Yes, we all do.”

“I am in the control room. See if you can make it down.”

“Copy that.”

Brad secured the radio to his belt then fastened the shield to his left arm and held the sword in his right. After taking a deep breath, he slowly cracked the door. Not seeing anything, he opened the door a little more. Suddenly the radio crackled and he took three steps back as he quickly turned down the volume. When he looked up, he was face to face with a fierce creature that was a little taller than he was. The thing glared at him not sure whether to attack or not. Brad was wearing his coat and he was not moving but he was holding a weapon. It stood still looking him straight in the eyes. He stared back but did not move. He remembered how one of these things had attacked a slower one just because it had made a sudden movement when it fell. As it glared at him, it was breathing heavily and he could smell its wretched breath. It cocked its head and leaned forward as Brad gripped his sword tightly. He did not have time for this. He had to help the people at the estate. He pretended to look behind the thing and when it took its eyes off him, he drove his blade through its heart then hit it in the face with his shield and pulled his sword free. As it staggered, he brought his blade down upon its head splitting its skull in two spewing blood and brains across the room. When it dropped, two more came in after him. He stabbed the first one in the neck then pushed the other one away with his shield. As it came back, he swung his sword with both hands and its head rolled off onto the floor. He now stepped out and met four more. The first one came at him and knocked him back against the wall. Before he could react, the other three were on him. He fought with all his might to hold them off but as he pushed them back, the first one opened its mouth and leaned toward his face. He was holding his breath and struggling to keep it away when he noticed a red dot on its temple. He closed his eyes and turned away just before its head blew apart spraying slimy fragments into his face. As soon as this one fell, the other three followed. When he looked over, the five men from the roof ran up to him.

“Are you alright sir?”

Brad wiped his face with the sleeve of his coat. “Yeah, I am okay.

“What are your orders?”

“We need to help the people at the estate. I will get an SUV then pull around so you can get in. After this, I will take you over to get another vehicle then we will create a diversion so Tyrone and Rudy can get out of the shelter.

“Follow us,” one of the men said.

All five men had assault rifles with silencers and laser pointers. As they headed for the exit, they saw about twenty creatures in the building. Luckily, only about half were the fast ones. These they would take first. They turned on their lasers to make sure two men did not target the same creature. As they approached, one of the creatures noticed the men and charged. The others saw this and followed. It took less than five seconds for the men to kill them all.

Now that it was clear, Brad headed for the door. “Cover me,” he said as he went out. There were now over a hundred creatures in the yard. The stupid ones were following the smart ones in through the hole in the fence. He ambled over to his SUV and got inside. As soon as he started the engine, the things came at him. He drove over and the men ran out and piled in the back. He now rushed over to get another vehicle and four of the men got into it. The creatures saw them and charged but instead of trying to get away, the vehicles headed for them and ran them over. After running several down, Brad stopped in front of the shelter door and went below.

Lisa ran forward and hugged him. When she looked up, she saw blood and puss all over his face. “What happened?” she gasped.

“Please get me a wet rag.”

After an inquisitive glance, she reluctantly complied.

Tyrone looked at Brad’s face and asked, “Is it bad up there?”

“It is dangerous but controllable.” He turned to the boy with the laptop. “What is happening at the estate?”

“Ten armed vehicles got out and are setting up an ambush. I have been circling around the enemy so the men will know where they are.”

“Good job.” Brad took the laptop. “You didn’t drop the bomb.”

“I didn’t want to waste it.”

“You did the right thing.” He turned to Rudy. “Your men are fine; they assisted me and are waiting above. We have to get to the estate.”

“You are not leaving again?” Lisa asked as she handed him a rag.

“I have to do this and I don’t have time to argue.” He wiped his face and added, “Many innocent people will die if I do not help them.”

Everyone in the place was silent and listening to Brad.

“I need everyone to remain calm and silent,” he said in a raised voice. “These things cannot get in. I will be back soon.” He turned to Mickey. “You are in charge. Keep everyone safe and under control.”

“Yes sir.”

He then whispered, “Watch the door closely after I leave. These things are getting smarter.” He kissed Lisa and handed her his trench coat. “Use it if you need it.”

She took it and wrinkled her nose at the putrid smell.

Brad smiled then headed up the stairs followed by Rudy and Tyrone. These two had already grabbed weapons. When Brad got to the top, he did not hesitate. He pushed open the door and went out with the others close behind. Fortunately, the creatures were busy chasing the SUV and did not notice them. Tyrone got in the front seat and Rudy got in the back with the other man. Brad handed the computer to Tyrone.

“What do you want me to do with this?” he asked.

“The drone is flying in a circle at a safe distance. Just keep an eye on it. If anything happens I will pull over and take control.” He drove over to the gate near the stables. “Unlatch the gate then get back in,” he said to the man in the back. “I will push it open with the truck.”

“Yes sir.”

They got out without a problem and the other truck followed close behind.

“What is happening?” Brad asked Tyrone.

“They are lined up in front of the estate and are preparing to attack.”

“Why can’t they leave us alone,” Brad replied with disgust. “There is no way those people can withstand an attack. All these jerks are doing is killing a lot of innocent people that never did anything to them.”

“I have seen people like this before,” Tyrone replied. “Hurting people, crushing the weak makes them feel powerful.”

“I do not understand why they bothered with the ambush in Whittier,” Rudy shrugged.

“Divide and conquer,” Brad said. “They hoped to kill our best resources then come back here and destroy the place without a fight.”

“Why did they leave so soon?”

“They were copying us,” Tyrone said. “They opened our walls so the creatures could do the work for them. Besides, they wanted to keep us busy so we could not assist the others.”

“They made a big mistake,” Brad said through his rage. “Not only did they tip us off and give us time to warn Tom, they also did not succeed in keeping us down.”

The road was clear and Brad was doing eighty down Willow Street. When he turned onto Bellflower Boulevard, the tires squealed.

“Try to get us there in one piece,” Tyrone laughed.

Brad pulled over. “You drive.”

“Hey man, I was just kidding.”

“I need to control the drone.”

They swapped seats then Brad checked everyone’s position with the drone. After this, he grabbed his radio and said, “Does anyone copy?” No one answered. He looked at the radio then turned up the volume and repeated his message. This time he got three affirmatives.

“Stand down until I give the word,” he ordered.

“How close do you want to get?” Tyrone asked.

“As close as you can.”

“Are the men from the estate in position?”

“Yes. Several are behind the enemy and many more are on the rooftops. When I give the word, they should be able to do some real damage.”

“Those fools have no idea the trouble they are in.”

“No they do not. Right now, they are watching the drone very closely and they do not realize their backs are vulnerable. Once the shooting starts I will hit them from above.”

“They are just up ahead,” Tyrone warned.

As soon as the enemy saw the trucks approaching, they opened fire.

“Hit them now,” Brad shouted into the radio.

Tyrone pushed the gas and raced forward as the other SUV came up beside them with men leaning out the windows shooting. As they were coming up the street, the allies hit the enemy from behind while the men in the estate shot at them from the rooftops. As the enemy took cover, Tyrone and the other SUV turned sideways so that they could hide behind the vehicles and give their foes everything they had. While the men on the ground kept them busy, Brad took the opportunity to fly over and fire two missiles.

The people from the lake now found themselves surrounded and in dire straits. Bullets were coming from every side and even above. It looked like it was over for them when Rudy cried, “Get in the truck.”

Brad looked back and the creatures were everywhere. He and the others barely got into the vehicle before the things were on them. The second SUV was not so lucky. Two of the men had their flesh ripped from their screaming bodies and devoured by the famished beasts. Many of the allies also lost their lives without warning because the threat from the front so occupied them that they never saw the danger behind.

While Brad and his allies battled the creatures, the enemy was free to focus on the estate. One of the men pulled out an RPG and prepared to destroy the wall so the killers could enter. Brad tried to help with the drone but he had his hands full fighting off the creatures that were attacking them. Just as the man got ready to fire his RPG, Brad managed to get the drone around and drop his bomb on the attackers. The explosion knocked the man off his feet and he fired his missile into one of his own vehicles killing three of his cohorts. He cussed and quickly reloaded but the explosions had attracted the creatures and before he could take aim, one sunk its teeth into the back of his neck. Now all the attackers had their hands full with the creatures and their only objective was to escape. Filled with fear, these men ran without direction and the men on the rooftops targeted the ones that did not perish at the hands of the creatures.

When Brad saw his enemies running for their lives he got on the radio and cried, “Everyone get out of here now.”

Tyrone did not hesitate. He punched the gas and ran the creatures over as he made his escape. As they raced away from the danger, Brad flew the drone over the estate to check on things. Tom had already gathered the residents into the clubhouse. This was the safest place because they had heavily fortified it with concrete and rebar and it could withstand an attack from even the most advanced of the creatures. Only a few brave men stayed outside on the rooftops but they had stopped shooting and were taking cover. Now that these men were no longer making noise, the creatures focused on the people that were running around shooting at them.

Seeing the estate safe and the enemy running for their lives, Brad sent the drone back to the racetrack to make sure things were still okay there. While he circled above, he felt relief that only a few more creatures had gone inside. There was just no reason for them to enter. He also checked on the wall and it was not that bad. Once the creatures were out, they could repair it in a few hours. Of course, the creatures were still inside and that meant he could not land. If he did, these things would destroy the drone. Satisfied with the situation, he circled the drone a short ways away in hopes that the creatures would follow it away from the track.

When they got back, they closed the gate and killed all the creatures inside. Brad then had some men come out and stand guard as the maintenance men repaired the walls. Once everything was under control at the racetrack, Brad called Tom on the radio to make sure they were out of danger. Tom said the creatures were still wandering around but they were docile and they had not breached the wall. As far as their enemies were concerned, they appeared vanquished.

Chapter 28

Now that the pressing danger was past, Brad was not going to ignore his enemies. In order to determine the best course of action he should take he did a few flyovers of the lake. While trying to devise a strategy on how to deal with these people, he got a lucky break. Tom’s men found two survivors nearby and he believed they were members of the enemy’s gang. Brad told him not to share his suspicions with these men and to deliver them to him immediately.

Tom told the men they were going to meet Brad and before they knew what was happening, two armed escorts ushered them away. As soon as they pulled into the stable entrance, the guards took them to a secluded building, unarmed them and told them to take a seat. A short while later Brad walked in with Tyrone, Rudy and Mickey. The four stood by the door looking at something and glancing at the men. After a minute, they walked over.