Milo jumps over the rotting fence, periodically looking over her shoulder to make sure Jed was following. Buck was keeping stride next to her. They run into the street, sliding to a halt. Rotters were moving into view, their bodies black and covered in maggots. They moan and shuffle towards them, their eyes glazed over with death. Buck yips, turning Milo's attention to her left. A Rotter was closer than the rest, arms outstretched, mouth open. Milo lifts her flame thrower and lights it on fire.
It doesn't stop moving, even though what little flesh it had left was quickly being burned. It drops to the ground, but still it crawls. Milo would have liked to end it quickly, but with a Hoarder in town they didn't have the time. This town had been a lucky find, untouched by the living and now they knew why.
Milo hears shots fired in the distance, with shouts of fear. Milo hated this part of their training, but it was logically sound. Never run towards the screams. Each person with you out in the field is a trained fighter and survivor. Milo closes her eyes as Bastien's words slam into her mind. Yes, they've all been trained and all of them knew what protocol to follow. This didn't make it less fucked up, only a little more bearable. Fear comes from ineptitude. Ones you learn how to defend and survive, that fear becomes a valuable weapon.
"MILO, up ahead, to the right in the ground." Jed shouts as he aims and shoots a Rotter in his way. Milo follows his instructions and looks to where he mentioned.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck.... fire a yellow flare. Move, move!" Milo orders. No, she thinks, how could there be a Gatherer here?
"What... the... hell... is...going...on?" Jed asks between breaths. His face is flushed, and dripping sweat, but he follows her order and fires the yellow flare. This meant retreat.
Milo doesn't answer, her eyes focused on the people running and firing. The Orchids was her team, made up of the best and the brightest. They moved with precision, looking after each other and getting the job done. She feels her chest loosen, only to have her heart nearly ripped out as an unholy shriek silences the moans of the Rotters.
The silence is deafening, her heart hammering in her chest. Jed is heaving next to her, Buck's ears twitching left and right. The hairs on his back was erect, a deep growl vibrating from his core. Milo looks up to where Buck was looking at, her mouth going dry. For a split-second fear immobilizes her, rooting her to the spot as she looks into the eyes of a Gatherer.
It was big, bulky and covered in vines, decaying flesh and heavily muscled. That was not even the worst of it, no. It was the pale-yellow eyes that held her captive, the intelligence that swirled in the depths. Sounds explode around Milo, jolting the fear from her system. Jed is in front of her, screaming her name, fear bright as day in his eyes. Milo shakes her head clear and jumps into action, just as the Gatherer.
Now it was down to training and speed. Milo grabs Jed around the collar and pushes him forward.
"GO, GO, GO" She screams in quick succession.
Jed motors into action, his arms pumping, desperately trying to propel him forward. They had to get to their buggies and get the hell out of here. Buck is next to them, jumping and pushing Rotters out of their way. Buck may have been combat trained, but he was also taught not to engage during a retreat.
They make it to the buggies. Milo dashes around hers and quickly opens and starts the remaining ones. Rushing back to her buggy, opening the door and getting Buck in, while Jed was on the back, ripping the sail off the rail-gun. He loads it and starts peppering the street. Milo grabs the flare gun from his belt and fires an orange flare. Now the Orchids only had forty seconds to get to the buggies or risk being left behind.
Milo watches the Rotters drop, but death would not claim them. The body was the perfect host to the Virus, perfect breeding ground to evolve and grow. The only humans that had been spared the Rot, had been the already dead. The Virus couldn't infect or reanimate already dead flesh, a small miracle.
Pearl and Duke comes rushing to their buggy, Duke jumping onto the back and loading his rail-gun. Pearl slams her door shut and looks over to Milo.
"Lilac and Mike, th-they didn't make it." She says.
Milo closes her eyes, her lips pressed into a thin line. This was so fucked up, this place was supposed to be a quick in and out job, and now, now she was a team short. Milo looks down at her watch, grabs the flare and fires a red flare into the air.
"FIFTEEN SECONDS" Milo screams.
She knew her team could hear her, and it was do or die now. She exhales loudly as the rest of the Orchids comes crashing over fences and through windows. They race to their buggies and as one the Orchids pulls out. Jed and Duke cease fire jumps into the buggy and slams the armored door closed over their heads.
Bastien's lessons runs through Milo's head as they speed out of the town. Rule one, always have your vehicle ready, never park it under, beneath or in something. It makes getting away harder and open for more problems. Rule two, no fancy driving, no handbrake turns, no spinning. Just park it so when you get in you can just drive. Over excessive driving can result in tires blowing out, losing control, flipping the buggy, all actions the means certain death.
Milo blinks away the memory as they race down the road. Rotters splat and slide from the buggy. The buggies where well armored, but nothing was ever perfect. Milo looks to her right as the shriek of the Gatherer rings through the air again. It was holding Lilac's torn and decapitated torso, with her head in its mouth.
At the thing's feet, Mike crawled, his legs ripped off. All around the Rotters gathered around the Gatherer, but none made a move to eat Lilac or Mike. Milo felt her stomach somersault, bile rising in the back of her throat. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. This was not the time to mourn.
"That was seriously fucked up." Jed says, wiping blood and grime from his face.
"We need to warn the others. If theirs a Gatherer theirs a Hoarder and where those two are..."
"Is a Breeder." Jed finishes for her. He leans his head back against the seat, Buck licking the side of his face. Jed reaches back and pats Buck on the snout.
"Yeah." Is all Milo can utter. She looks at her rear-view mirror, making sure all six buggies where still following her.