Metal and Ash (Apex Trilogy) (55 page)

“Dear, god,” Ms. Isely said. “Where did they all come from?”

“We have resources even you do not know about,” Mr. Continental replied. “So losing one skirmish in the desert isn’t an issue.”

“Not even a hiccup,” Mr. Plain said.

“Barely registers,” Mr. Brown Eyes added.

“So take your seat, Ms. Isely,” Mr. Continental ordered. “And watch it all play out.”

***

The riders rounded up the last of the troopers. No one said a word as they cut them down, executing them on the spot. The wasteland wasn’t about prisoners.

“Couldn’t have carried them on our cyces,” Immy said as she watched the range of emotions play across Dog’s face. “And I wouldn’t if I could. Not after what happened to Agnatha.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Dog replied turning his attention to the battle between Stone and Reginald. “What do we do about those guys?”

“Your call,” Immy said. “What can we do?”

“Leave them,” Dog replied. “I’m sure your father can keep tabs on them.”

“Already am,” the Mayor replied over the com. “Just sat down with some drinks and snacks. All of Eden is watching this fight. Quite a show.”

“He’s kidding, right?” Dog asked.

“Kidding?” Immy laughed. “Not even close. Half the wasteland is our entertainment. Better than the vids that the UDC used to broadcast. Reality is stranger than fiction.”

“That’s just messed up,” Dog said. “But I like it.”

Some of the riders pulled sidearms as the BTT shivered into existence just a few yards away.

“Let’s get the wounded inside and get the fuck out of here,” Melissa said from the door as the ramp extended to the ground. “Just heard from Capreze. They have a feeling a whole lot of undead are about to come down on the Stronghold. The couple BTTs that are available are on their way. You folks will be flying in style shortly. No time to waste.”

Fifty-Eight

The zombies were only yards behind Masters and Harlow as they ran to the Railer  train they could see in the distance.

“HEY!” Masters shouted. “HEY! OVER HERE!”

“Mitch,” Harlow gasped. “Mitch…I can’t…”

“Bullshit,” he said as he draped her arm over his shoulder and helped her along. He turned and emptied his 9mm into the crush of zombies coming at them. He had no idea if he took any out, but he was glad to do something, anything. “Just hang on to me.”

“We won’t make…it,” Harlow said. She looked over at her hand on Masters’s shoulder and saw the black lines extending up her wrist and arm. She knew she had an hour or less. “Leave me. Baby…leave me.”

“Fuck that shit,” Masters said. “Not a fucking chance in hell I’m leaving a hot piece of ass like you to those things. You may hate me, but I still love you. And your ass. It’s mine, baby, all mine.”

Harlow couldn’t help but smile as she pushed herself to jog along with Masters. “You’re…going to…die too,” she croaked. “I can’t…have that.”

“Not your choice, sweet cheeks,” Masters said. “We keep going. Together.”

Harlow risked a look over her shoulder and gasped. They were so close. The smell and the sounds grew with every step.

“STAY STILL!” a voice boomed from above. “JUST STAND STILL FOR A MINUTE!”

Masters and Harlow looked up and both nearly fell over. A badly scorched and scarred BTT was just above them, the cargo bay door sliding open. Masters skidded to a stop and held Harlow to him.

“See, baby?” Masters said, kissing her feverous cheek. “All good. Cavalry arrived.”

The BTT settled over them and Masters shoved Harlow up into the cargo bay. He grabbed onto the edge and pulled himself up, barely escaping the grabbing hands of a hundred deaders. Some were able to leap at the BTT and grab the edge of the cargo hold, but as the bay door slid shut their hands were severed and the zombies fell away.

“Fuck,” Masters said, looking around at the BTT’s cargo hold. “Uh, hello?”

“Up in the cockpit,” Styles 7 said. “Come up, y’all. I have drinks.” The BTT lurched and Masters and Harlow felt it lose altitude. “Better drink up while we can still fly. This baby took a beating when that blast hit. Almost knocked me out of the air.”

“Are we heading back to the Stronghold?” Masters asked as he helped Harlow up the stairs from the hold.

“No can do, bud,” Styles 7’s voice said over the speakers. “This baby will never make it. I’m gonna put us down by that train. Maybe we can figure something out with them.”

“Great,” Masters said thinking of the zombie horde that was still below. And heading straight for the train because of them.

***

“Hold that still!” Moss shouted. “You drop that and we’ll all blow up!”

“Kiss my ass, Jonny,” Watts said. “I’ve got it steady. You just hurry up and bolt those straps down.”

“You’re going to kill us all,” Marin said as she watched the two mechanics bolt missile engines to the back of the rear train engine. “This will blow us to a million pieces.”

“Certainly will,” Jay said as he limped up to Marin. “Hey.”

“Still alive,” Marin nodded. “Good to see that. Any word on the others?”

“Nope,” Jay said. “If they’re alive then they’re in a world of shit.” Jay hooked his thumb over his shoulder. “We’ve got company.”

Marin turned around and squinted into the sun. “Ah, shit.”

“That ain’t gonna work,” Jay said. “Unless you have them angled perfectly those engines are just going to send this car flying off the tracks.”

“I don’t think so,” Watts said.

“Oh, well,” Jay said as he started walking away. “Your funeral.”

“Where are you going?” Marin asked.

“I’m gonna keep putting distance between me and those fucking deaders,” Jay said. “And I’m not getting on this train.”

“You’d rather get eaten alive?” Marin glared.

“I’d rather have a fighting chance than being on a derailed train when they come for me,” Jay said. “But that’s just me.”

“You really think this won’t work?” Watts asked.

“I know it won’t,” Jay said. “Plus, how are you going to coordinate them? You have no electronics! You’ll have to manually fire them all at once. Think you can really do that?”

Watts and Moss looked at each other.

“Yeah,” Jay grinned. “That’s what I thought. Marin, get your people to hoofing it. You have a small head start. Take that opportunity.”

“Ah, fuck,” Marin swore. “You two, get down. We need to evacuate.” They hopped down and Marin slapped them both upside the head. “I can’t believe you two talked me into this.”

“But, you-,” Moss started.

“Shut the fuck up,” Marin growled. “Go get weapons and water. We have a long fucking hike to make.”

Jay stopped where he was and looked up in the sky. “Well, I’ll be.”

“What?” Marin asked then the shadow fell over her.

“Those things sure are quiet,” Jay said. “Even when beat up.”

The BTT landed next to the train and the ramp descended. Masters helped Harlow down the ramp.

“Hey, Jay,” Masters said. “Looks like the train can use some power?”

“What’s wrong?” Jay asked, his eyes on Harlow. “Oh, sweet Jeezus…”

***

Jay had a hard time concentrating on what Marin and Styles 7 were discussing. His attention was fully on Harlow as Masters wiped her forehead with a wet cloth.

“Rind?” Marin snapped. “Are you listening?”

“No,” Jay admitted. “What?”

“Do you think this support structure will hold?” Styles asked. “And how long will it take to weld it together?”

Jay studied the rough schematics that Marin had drawn and nodded. “Yes and an hour if everyone works on it.”

“We don’t have an hour,” Masters said as he glanced out the train window at the mass of zombies. “Maybe twenty minutes.”

“What if we tow the train for the first few miles?” Styles 7 suggested. “Get us a little more breathing room?”

“We can rig a tow cable in a few minutes,” Jay said. “But how long can your BTT stay in the air?”

“Long enough to get us a ways off so we can then weld it to the front engine,” Styles 7 said. “But it will be a slow launch. I take off at full speed and I’ll destroy your train. Probably rip the front engine in half.”

“Then we get some guns and we hold off as many as possible,” Marin said. “Every able bodied person that can pull a trigger will be on the end of the train.”

“That won’t be needed,” Masters said. “I can provide a distraction.”

“How the hell are you going to do that?” Jay asked. “You have Harlow to look out for. You aren’t…going to…” Jay shook his head. “No, Masters. No fucking way.”

“She’s already gone,” Masters said. “Look at her, man.”

They all did and could see that Harlow was well on her way to turning. The bite from the techno-zombie not only was potent, but the strain used obviously had an accelerated incubation timeline. Harlow’s cheeks were sunken in and her eyes flicked madly behind her lids. Her skin had turned gray and her breathing was shallow and irregular.

“That doesn’t mean you have to die,” Marin said. “You have a whole life ahead of you!”

“No, I don’t,” Masters said. “You saw what happened to me the last time I thought I lost Harlow. I was a fucking mess!” Tears welled in his eyes and he struggled to speak. “I can’t. I just can’t. She’s the only thing that makes this life worth it for me.”

“Jesus,” Styles 7 said. “You’re gonna make me cry, man. That’s some fucking love right there.”

“No, it isn’t!” Jay said. “It’s fucking suicide and it’s bullshit!”

“Jay…,” Masters said softly. “I’m not coming with. I’ll sit up on top of that rear engine car. You guys leave it with me and Harlow. I’ll make sure the deaders come for me and you all have a head start.”

“You can’t shoot them all, Mitch,” Jay said, shaking his head. “They’ll tear you apart. What, are you going to eat your own gun? Fucking coward.”

“Eat my gun?” Masters laughed. “I’m Mitch Mother Fucking Masters. I’ll be going out in style, bitches.”

***

“Tow line is in place,” Jay said as he stood on the side ladder to the roof of the rear engine car. The car had been decoupled and was standing alone thirty yards from the rest of the train. “You sure you won’t change your mind?”

“Never been so sure about anything in my life,” Masters said as he sat on top of the car, Harlow cradled in his arms. He looked down through a roof hatch at what lay below inside the car. “This will be quite a show. Make sure you guys are watching.”

“I won’t take my eyes off of you,” Jay said. “I promise.”

The two men looked at each other for a while then both nodded.

“Crazy fucker,” Jay said.

“Grumpy old fuck,” Masters replied.

“See you in Hell,” Jay said as he climbed down the ladder. “Save me a seat.”

“I’ll keep it warm for you,” Masters said as he watched the wave of zombies coming at them. “Now move ass, Rind!”

Jay didn’t have to be told twice. He ran faster than he ever had before and grabbed onto the railing of the rear train car. He pulled himself up and gave a quick wave. The train lurched as the BTT in front started to slowly pull it away.

Masters gave a return wave then looked at the zombies. Quite a few had split from the main wave and were running towards the train. Masters picked up his pistol and fired a shot into the air. All undead eyes fell on him.

“Feeding time!” Masters shouted. “Come and get it!”

He set the pistol aside and pulled his knife, cutting a long gash into his forearm. He flicked the gushing blood off the car and onto the dirt below. The zombies picked up their pace as the scent of fresh blood hit their noses. Masters flicked more and more as his arm poured blood.

“Oooh, ouch,” he said. “I think I nicked something big.”

Harlow stirred and her face scrunched up as she caught a whiff of Masters’s blood. Her eyes opened slowly and Masters winced at what he saw.

“Ah, baby,” he said as he looked into the clouded, yellow eyes of a deader. “Oh, my sweet, sweet girl.”

He gripped her to him as she started to become more animated. She struggled against his arms, her head twisting and twisting, trying to find the source of the delicious smell. Masters had to use all of his strength to keep her from full on attacking him. As the blood left his body he knew that strength was going to follow.

He glanced down at the pistol next to him.

“Almost time,” he whispered in Harlow’s ear. She jerked and snapped at his face. “Ah, fuck. What the hell, right?”

Masters looked out at the mass of zombies that had surrounded the train car. There were thousands and thousands and he felt them crushing against the car, their weight starting to rock the train car from side to side. The pistol slid slightly and Masters grabbed it.

“Okay, baby,” he said as he tilted his head, exposing his neck. “One last taste of Mitchy before we go.”

The creature that had been Harlow opened her mouth wide and clamped down on Masters’s exposed flesh. He held in the cry that almost escaped his lips and aimed the pistol down through the top hatch in the train car. He took careful aim, making sure he had the exact spot Jay had pointed out in his sights.

“I...love you,” Masters gasped as Harlow ripped out part of his throat.

Before he could choke on his own blood he fired.

The bullet hit the mark perfectly and the payloads from twenty-seven missiles exploded in a split second chain reaction.

***

Chief Mechanic Jay Rind wept openly as he watched the fireball soar into the sky. He knew Masters and Harlow had been vaporized and hadn’t felt a thing, but he couldn’t help thinking that he could have done something else. He could have come up with a plan that would have saved them.

Marin, by Jay’s side, looked at him as a small laugh escaped his lips. “What the hell can you find funny?”

“I just thought I could have done something,” Jay said. “I could have come up with someway that they didn’t have to die. But Harlow was bit? She’d already turned. I was born in this shit and yet my fucking ego thought I could fix her. I actually thought I could save someone that had turned deader. That’s what’s funny. Me.”