Emperor of a Dead World (42 page)

“Thank you,” Brad replied with a breathless voice.

Brad’s father walked over and put his hand on his son’s forehead. “You have the fever again. You got this wound coming to save us.”

“I would do it again a thousand times,” Brad replied.

“Is there any water?” Tyrone asked.

Brad’s father produced a bottle with only an ounce inside. “Drink this, drink it all.”

“You need it,” Brad protested.

“We are leaving soon. It will give you strength so you can protect your mother.”

This was all it took. Brad drank the water. The coolness revived him and he immediately began to feel better.

“Come sit next to your mother,” his father pleaded.

They went into the coffee shop and sat down. No one spoke; they just listened to the pounding on the walls. Suddenly, the window beside them shattered causing them to jump to their feet. The creatures reached in and tried to grab them but fortunately the metal grids were strong and they held.

“We have to go now,” Tyrone insisted. He led them upstairs then called to the men. “Group up and leave in the order I have instructed.”

Brad grabbed his sword and shield then took a deep breath as he picked his mother up and tossed her over his left shoulder. She still had trouble walking due to twisting her ankle a few days earlier. He now took his father by the arm and led him to the door. No one moved. Everyone was in shock over Brad’s actions.

“Who are the ones Tyrone instructed to go first?” he called out.

The men stepped forward.

“Clear me a path,” he said as he held up his sword.

Tyrone stepped in front of him. “Stay behind me.” He then put his hand on the door and gripped his crowbar tightly.

Chapter 35

Tyrone opened the door and started out but a loud buzzing noise stopped him in his tracks. He turned to look at Brad but before either could speak, an explosion rocked the building. Brad quickly set his mother down then rushed over to Tyrone as three more explosions shook the ground. They both stared speechlessly up into the sky. To their utter amazement, drones were everywhere dropping bombs and shooting missiles at the creatures.

“I can’t freaking believe it.” Tyrone laughed. “Your friends are here.”

“It’s about time,” Brad smirked. “How many drones do you count?”

“At least a dozen, maybe two, I am not sure.” A loud boom interrupted Tyrone’s statement as flames erupted into the air.

“A fuel station,” Brad smiled. “Danny is drawing them away.”

“How did he know we were here?”

“Maybe he intercepted our communications.”

Something overhead caught their attention. When they looked up, they saw a drone circling the church.

“That is mine,” Brad exclaimed. “The people at the racetrack must have told Danny everything.” His excitement increased the burning sensation in his arm. He closed the door and rubbed his wound then looked at the other infected men. He was sweating and so were they. “We have to go,” he said as he motioned to the other sick men.

“I agree. Those men will soon be a threat.”

“As will I,” Brad sighed.

“You beat this once before,” Tyrone insisted. “You can beat it again.”

Brad ran his sleeve across his forehead. “It took me three weeks to recover and we do not have that kind of time.”

Another explosion reverberated through the air. Upon hearing this, Tyrone looked out and the churchyard was almost clear of creatures. “If we are leaving now is the time. Are you ready?”

Brad nodded.

“It is time to go,” Tyrone turned and shouted.

Brad’s heart was pounding rapidly and his adrenaline was flowing through his veins. He knew this was bad but he could not calm his heart. Fighting against his pain, he picked his mother up and followed Tyrone out the door dragging his father along. Rushing down the stairs with the others close behind, they headed for Sacramento Street. After traveling only three blocks, they stopped in horror. Hundreds of creatures had wandered onto the street in confusion and now blocked their path. Before they could turn back, the creatures noticed them and charged.

“Retreat,” Tyrone cried as he pushed the men back.

The creatures were gaining on them so Tyrone directed everyone to the Fairmont Hotel. Before he turned the corner, he looked back and Mickey had returned with the cavalry. They came up a side street and got the creatures to follow the horses. Knowing it would be best to wait for the streets to clear Tyrone headed for the parking structure but before they made it, dozens of creatures turned onto Powell Street from California Street and came towards them. Upon seeing them, Tyrone turned back but now others pursued them from Sacramento Street.

“Line up and face them on both sides holding your shields out before you,” he shouted. “We have to fight our way out.”

Brad readied the men facing Sacramento Street and Tyrone rallied the ones toward California Street. As Brad prepared to fight, he glanced at the red cross on his shield and looked up to pray for the first time in his life. When he did so, he saw his drone flying above them.

“Cover your heads,” he warned.

Everyone ducked as the drone swooped in and dropped a bomb ripping the creatures apart. It then circled around to hit the ones coming at Tyrone but the things were too near the people for him to release his bomb. Seeing no alternative, Tyrone led his men into the creatures bashing their brains out with his crowbar as he went.

The ones facing Brad were coming so fast that he had no choice but to set his mother down so he could battle this fierce force of demons.

“Stay back,” he told his parents as he led his men forward.

The ones wearing armor faired best because the creatures could not bite them. The men would hold their arms out and the beasts would try to sink their teeth in only to break them on the metal. While the things were still tearing at their arms, the men would bash in their skulls with whatever cudgel they possessed. The ones with helmets would head-butt the creatures then pierce their brains with a dagger. Another tactic was to push them back while placing a foot behind the creature to trip it. When it went down, they stomped on its head and moved on. Fooling these things was like tricking a small child. They would repeatedly fall for the same ploy that had led to the demise of the one before them. Unfortunately, there were so many that the men could not repel them fast enough. For every one they killed three more came to replace it causing many to fall victim during this escape.

Unable to advance, they held their ground as best they could but before long, the creatures pushed Tyrone and Brad back toward each other. Though everyone fought bravely, the odds were too staggering and it looked as though all was lost. Just as Brad fell on the point of despair, the drones returned. They flew in over the creatures firing missiles and blew open a hole for the people to escape.

“This way,” Brad cried when he saw the opening. He could envision Dennis and Danny sitting in front of their laptops cheering.

Everyone followed Brad onto Sacramento Street but the creatures were everywhere and there was nowhere to run. He gathered the group into a tight circle and tried to force his way back to the church but this proved to be a hopeless enterprise. Above his head, a drone was circling. He tried to wave it off but it would not leave. This fool was drawing the creatures to them. He was still trying to make it clear he wanted the drone to leave when he heard several people cheer. He looked up the street and his heart leaped with joy. Three monster trucks, red, white and blue in color were speeding down the street toward them crushing the creatures as they came. Behind these trucks, an Expedition and several Chevy passenger vans followed. Brad now understood why the drone circled above. It was leading the rescuers to them.

“Move close to the building,” he shouted over the tumult. “We need to get out of the street so the convoy will not run us over.”

When the first truck got to them, the driver honked and waved as he shouted, “Bubba to the rescue again.”

As Bubba and the other monster trucks continued on, the Expedition stopped in front of Brad. He immediately opened the door and placed his mother inside then helped his father and the others in behind her.

“Come with us,” his mother pleaded.

“I must stay and help Tyrone,” he insisted.

“Who will protect us?”

“I will,” said the woman Brad had met on the barge.

He motioned her and a couple of others into the SUV then told the driver to go as he slammed the door. As soon as they headed off, a passenger van stopped in front of Brad. Without hesitation, he directed his men into the vehicles as he and Tyrone stood guard. After everyone else was safely on their way, the two friends got into the last van and headed toward the waterfront.

As they charged down the street, Brad realized these were not ordinary Passenger Vans. These were Diesel Express 3500s with an extended wheelbase and they had plenty of armor. Along the sides and back, sheets of metal with slits for viewing covered the windows. In front, armor plating with small slots cut out to allow the driver to see protected the windshield. A plow in front allowed them to knock creatures out of the way while keeping the wheels from getting jammed with bodies. On top, they had mounted a Gatling gun and a missile launcher that they could fire using controls on the console. For communications, they had outfitted all the vehicles with CB radios.

“Now this is what I call a ride.” Tyrone smiled.

In the lead vehicle, Brad’s parents could not understand how all this had happened. One minute, they had no hope for survival and the next two hundred people arrived with their son. Shortly after this, drones started dropping bombs on the creatures, three monster trucks appeared out of nowhere and now they were ushered into this SUV. They simply sat trembling in their heavily armored Expedition as it bounced down the street. They were still in a state of shock when a man in the front seat turned and faced them.

“Hello, I am Dr. Moreau. You must be the parents of Brad.”

They looked at each other in bewilderment. Who had their son become?

Once all the vehicles had rendezvoused at the ships, they turned and fired on the creatures while the drones hit them from the sky. As they continued to blast these things, Brad and Tyrone jumped out and formed a line of defense with several of the men. They had just started to line up when Mickey and his cavalry broke through the crowd and headed down the pier. Everyone cheered upon seeing them and Brad felt a great sense of relief. As soon as Mickey passed, Tyrone told everyone to head for the ships. When he saw Brad’s parents, he insisted that Brad go with them.

“No, I will stay and fight with you.”

“I said go,” Tyrone demanded. “I don’t have time to argue. The reason we are here is to rescue them. This is all I have heard for years so now you need to go and get them to safety.”

While Tyrone was lecturing him, Brad was holding off a creature. When Tyrone finished Brad split its skull then killed four more.

“Alright, I will go,” he said in frustration. “But as soon as these people are clear get your ass to the boats.”

“Yes Sir,” Tyrone laughed as he swung and crushed in two heads with one blow of his crowbar.

Brad raced over and picked up his mother then escorted his father and the others down the pier to the boats. As each boat filled up, the captains headed out. Once all the rescue vehicles were empty, Tyrone gave the okay signal and the drivers headed up the hill behind Bubba and the other two monster trucks.

Now that everyone else was safe, Tyrone and twenty men rushed backwards down the pier holding their shields out. They were no longer concerned with fighting and killing. They now only cared about surviving and making it to the boats. The last man off the pier was Tyrone. As soon as one of his feet touched the side of the boat, he told the captain to gun it and he fell backwards into the arms of his men.

While Tyrone rode off to safety, the Rampage headed for open waters with its precious cargo of Brad and his parents. When Brad looked back to see that the others were safely on their way he glanced over to check on his parents and noticed Dr. Moreau.

“Dr. Moreau,” Brad exclaimed. “I guess I should not be surprised considering everything else that has happened today.”

“We have just met the good doctor and he has told us only briefly how you two met,” Brad’s father said. “However, I am sure he has much more to tell.”

“Indeed I do,” the doctor replied. He turned to Brad. “I will begin with your arrival at the island.”

“Please tell me how you knew about that,” Brad replied.

“As you well know,” the doctor smiled, “Danny monitors everything you do with the drone.”