Necrocide

Chapter 55

DAY THREE OF THE OUTBREAK...

Mrs. Hecox was hidden in the shadows of the basement, frantically tampering with the radio to contact the AIS while also doing everything she could to hide her guilt. Kat held up two handguns and aimed them back at the basement door to protect the others, most of which were sitting on the floor crying at the loss of their beloved caretaker. Aaron was curled into a ball bawling his eyes out into his sleeves, his gun laying beside him on the floor.

"He saved us," Jonah croaked in disbelief. "I always knew he was a hero, but...I thought he'd live long enough to be proud of it."

"Please respond!" Mrs. Hecox shouted into the microphone. "We're trapped underneath the Hecox Home for Children near Checkpoint Z! I've got my children with me!"

"We're never getting out of here," Aaron repeated to himself fearfully as the tears continued to spill down his cheeks. "I should've helped him."

Nika was divided on whether to comfort Aaron or help Kat protect their friends by guarding the door. She focused more on what was best for everyone and stood by Kat, aiming her gun at the door. She did everything she could to hold back the tears, and the resulting stress caused her weapon to twitch in her hands.

"Excuse me," Kat said, trying to sound polite, "but you'd be able to fire better if you kept your gun still."

"Sorry, I...?" Nika said with her eyes still set on the basement door, her voice shaky. "I'm scared. None of us know what to do now that Mr. Hecox..."

Kat slowly turned her head toward Nika. "I'm very sorry," she said sympathetically. "I didn't know him very long, but he seemed like a real gent."

"He was more than a gent," Aaron croaked, tears still streaming down his face. "He was the closest I've ever had to a father."

Mrs. Hecox overheard Aaron and paused in the middle of her rant into the microphone. Those final words had shattered her heart to bits and she found herself in the same sorrowful position as her children. She covered her face with her hands and sobbed. Her cries were quieter than those of the kids since she still wanted to prove hope could still be found somewhere in this situation. Natalya ran over to her to comfort her.

"He wasn't close to a father," Jonah said softly. "He was our father. And as his family, we gotta stick together. At least until the AIS finds us and saves us."

"Do you think we'll be able to hold up this long?" Kat asked.

"All I'm going to say is probably," Jonah replied.

The sound of glass shattering filled the room following a loud explosion. Red mist sprayed in all directions beyond the window like a crimson storm. A series of horrible screeches sounded in the distance, and the children fearfully turned their heads back to see what horrors awaited them outside.

Jonah slowly trudged over to the space where the window used to be, his friends repeatedly pleaded with him not to go any further. "Jonah Franklin!" Mrs. Hecox shouted, rising from the floor. "Get away from there this instant!"

Jonah ignored their warnings and moved closer. They also silenced themselves immediately as the sounds of footsteps crashed through the level above them like a downpour. Screeching noises echoed through the walls of the building as the creatures moved in to seek their prey, smashing apart furniture and tripping over each other to find a source of food.

"They're here," Natalya whispered.

Jonah continued toward the hole until his head was directly over the street. The first thing he caught a glimpse of was a pile of mutilated corpses splayed out on the pavement in grotesque positions. It was hard to tell who the organs and limbs originally belonged to, and the only body he recognized was that of an AIS soldier. His head hung off a small strand of flesh, the only piece remaining of his neck, and his face was contorted into a pain-fueled shriek. The rest of him was buried under the pieces of other bodies.