Necrocide

Chapter 69

Aaron, Harry, Jade, and Kyle drove off into the forest in a jeep they found at the facility, contemplating whether they'd ever visit it again. Aaron was at the driver's seat while his three undead companions occupied the passenger seats. The suitcase of evidence was settled down at Harry's feet, but Aaron had to keep glancing down at it to make sure Harry didn't accidentally damage it. He returned his eyes to the forest in front of them as they raced to the Dead Center to confront their invaders.

"Hey, Aaron," Kyle said. "Just out of curiosity, did you find out what makes an Abnormal Deadman?"

"I'm afraid not," Aaron replied. "That's what I've been theorizing the most about."

"Got any ideas?"

"Well like I said earlier, the Ambrosia seems to have a mind of its own. I believe it judges its host based on its usefulness and decides whether or not he or she is worthy of receiving more power. Like maybe it realizes the person it's controlling has a deeper meaning than just a puppet. Almost like it understands what it's been through."

"Understands?" Kyle repeated.

"Yeah. Bloodletter told me it takes more than your own death to become an Abnormal. Maybe grief influences the Ambrosia to grant its host special abilities because it somehow feels sympathetic. He also told me he wasn't the only one who was supposed to die. So maybe the Ambrosia is working with him to get revenge."

"Aaron, look out!" Harry shouted.

Aaron pounded his foot on the brake, and the jeep violently skidded to a halt. The four of them were at the entrance of a street leading into the Dead Center. Many of the buildings surrounding them were ravished by bombs, with windows shattered and most of the walls crumbled to the ground. Piles of bricks littered the streets and hordes of Deadmen stampeded through town like wild animals.

"What the hell happened here?" Kyle asked.

Gunfire followed his sentence, and the four of them watched as a group of Deadmen dropped to the ground like flies, bullet holes riddling their bodies. Aaron then heard the distinct sound of a rocket launcher being fired. "Get down!" he shouted.

The corner of the roof of the building next to them exploded. Loose bricks and building materials rained down on the four of them, but they endured the destructive downpour as they crouched into their seats and shielded their heads. The falling debris loudly crashed against the surface of their jeep, leaving behind unrepairable dents and damage. Aaron watched as a pipe obliterated the windshield and impaled Harry through his leg. Jade's head was bloodied by a stray brick while Kyle's face was scratched by the glass. Luckily, none of them felt it.

"You guys okay?" Aaron groaned as he slowly emerged from his position.

"I think we should call a plumber or something," Harry replied nonchalantly as he stared at the pipe lodged in his thigh.

"Can you move your leg?"

"Yeah, I think so." Harry bent his leg, resulting in disgustingly loud crunching noises as his leg bent into unnatural positions. "Well every bone in my leg has been destroyed, so that's great."

"Don't mess with Matheson, motherfuckers!" shouted a young man from deep within the Dead Center. Aaron looked up to see two DZI officers with their rifles unholstered, standing above the pile of Deadmen executed a few seconds ago. He didn't recognize either of them.

"Is the gun still back there?" Aaron asked Jade and Kyle.

"Yeah, here," Jade replied as she wiped the blood off her forehead and handed him a pistol.

Once Aaron had the gun in his hands, he quickly turned toward the DZI soldiers and fired multiple shots, nailing one in the head and requiring two shots to take down the other. A horde of Deadmen appeared out of nowhere and ripped the DZI's corpses apart like nothing.