Eddie and Thomas lined up by the stairway. The sister of Eddie's partner provided us with a fresh pack. We'd need these to bring back the necessary supplies. This plan was stupid as we had absolutely no plan. I wasn't saying we shouldn't try, but those two brothers knew what awaited after dark. 'How many regular guys did we lose back during the war? Too damn many, that's how many.' These people don't know what we are dealing with, but I do. The city better not have a blackout during our little excursion. Being up here was better than being out in the open. At least we didn't have armed combatants aiding and abetting the enemy during the war. Just when I thought things couldn't get more challenging, those two Shaw buddies came over, locked and loaded. I'd had enough of this.
"Just what the hell do you two think you're doing?" I snapped.
"We're coming along?" Blossom said.
"You're kidding, right? Hey, this isn't, name your prime-time TV drama! This is the real deal. Once we pass floor sixty, shit's going to get real pretty fast. Second, you don't even have a clue what we
are dealing with," I said.
"Look, we can handle it," Nathan said.
"Buddy, you can't handle the shit-fest we're walking into. No one can, as far as I'm concerned. You're better off staying here and protecting these people," I explained.
"We're going, and that's final," Blossom stated, brushing past me.
"Look at this, Eddie. These kids got a death wish," I snapped.
"Let it go, Bob. We can't stop them from tagging alone," Eddie countered.
"Better they are where we can see and cover them," Thomas said.
"Bleeding hearts, man!" I mumbled.
They were right, but I wasn't about to let them know. We could use them in a pinch. Strength in numbers, as the saying goes. I loaded my pump shotgun, pistol, and backup. The UMP 45 was my surprise in case my personal space was invaded. Which it most definitely will be before we get back. I counted the crosses Rachael's Mother provided. You'd be amazed at what people can come up with on short notice in a crisis. That guy a few floors below whipped up some metal bats with crosses. At least we melee weapons if it came down to that.
Thomas pumped his shotgun, and the five of us descended the stairs. Word spread fast of our excursion. The good Doctor had supplied all three of us with the same list in case we were separated. There was another list with names and descriptions. Some of the residents had people out there. They hoped we might come across them. I did too, but I wasn't holding out hope. I hoped they held up somewhere safe for the night if they were out there. As we got to the sixtieth floor, a group of able-bodied men and women were ready to pound heads if something got through. A few souls had pistols, but that was it. We waited as the barricade was removed. Madison had the radio and was the only one with the power to open the elevator or stairs for us. That meant no one was coming up pretending to be us.
I went first as soon as the door was held open. We had to be quiet but quick at the same time. We're talking sixty floors to hike down and up. That wounded man might not even last that long, but at least a doc was there. Surprisingly, Blossom and her brother kept up with us old veterans. By the time we reached floor thirty, we heard the sound of new movement. It sounded like someone was tearing up an apartment. Eddie tapped me on the shoulder.
"Me and you," Eddie whispered.
I nodded and slung my shotgun, drawing a K-bar knife. Thomas opened the door quietly. We crept down the hallway, drawing closer to the sound. There were a few dead bodies of older people. Bloody handprints were on the walls. It looked like a massacre had happened, which wasn't far from reality. Once, we were at the doorway. I peeked in, seeing one guy tearing the place up. It was like he was looking for something. The man went down the hall. Eddie and I took the chance to get inside. I caught a glimpse of a portrait on the wall. The man was in the picture with a woman and two children. Eddie snuck to the other side of the hallway entry. I went first, with my knife handy. The man was in one of the bedrooms. We passed a room with bunk beds. It was torn apart like a tornado came through. Another bedroom was in the same state. The man must have been in the last room. I was just about to peek in when I heard screaming.
"Ah! Found you, darling!" the man shouted.
The sound of a woman being dragged and kids screaming pressed me into action. I dashed in and put the man in a sleeper hold. 'Shit, this fucker is strong!' The man didn't even acknowledge I had him by the throat. He was hellbent on gutting his own wife. Then, I noticed the gaping hole in the man's chest.
"Fuck!" I yelled, pushing the man onto the bed.
Eddie caved the man's head in with his bat, putting him to rest. The cross touching his body literally set him ablaze in pure white flames. There wasn't time to digest the scene. Those same dead people from the hall ran in one after the other.
"Oh, you wanna play baseball, huh?" I said, bearing my knife in the first one's head before going ham on the dead fucker.
These bats came in handy in a pinch. Eddie and I clobbered every damn one of them as they got close enough. No need to worry about bodies piling when they turned to ash. I held my bat at the ready, waiting for more to show up for a good two minutes. Nothing came into the bedroom. I glance at Eddie, and he nods, backing up to the woman. The door was right there, and I kept my eye on it.
"You okay, ma'am?" Eddie asked.
"No, what is going on?" she asked.
"I'm Detective Eddie Hunt. My friend there is Bob Mchahon. Are these your kids?" Eddie asked.
"Yes, they are," the woman said, waving for them to come over. "My name's Emelia Wells. These are my children, Sienna and Annabel. Can you tell me what is going on? My husband was killed by a mob that came to our apartment. He told us to hide in the false wall in the closet. I watched those people torture and kill him. Then once it got quiet after dark, he got up and started trashing the place. How is that even possible? Jerry was dead!" Emelia stuttered.
"It's too much to explain right now. We need to get up past floor eighty," Eddie said.
The woman shook her head and gathered her kids. I thought about making a quick search of the floor for other survivors. I put that aside. If there was, then they were safer if they stayed quiet. I didn't hear any more movement on the floor. It was reasonable to assume that no one else was alive, or at least they were hiding. Right now, we have a mission. Once we reached the stairs, Eddie called Madison and told her people were coming up. Blossom caved in and escorted them back. The rest of us moved on down the building.
After thirty more minutes, we were on the first floor. Thomas opened the stairway door. Eddie and I went out first. We were greeted by the bright lights of the luxurious lobby. There wasn't a person in sight. That was until we saw the bellboy beating on a door behind the service desk. I didn't wait to be spotted. I clocked the old man on the back of the head and smashed his head in. Turning him into little more than ash.
"First flaming monsters, now the damn undead?" I whispered.
"Is someone alive out there?" a woman asked.
"Sure, if you can call surviving an apocalyptic hell alive," I said.
"Come on, Bob?" Thomas said.
"This is Detective Eddie Hunt and my brother Detective Thomas Hunt. Are you injured?" Eddie asked.
The door opened up, and three female clerks came out. One redhead, blonde, and black-haired woman. The redhead had a splatter of blood on their blazer. They wore matching sky-blue blazers, tight pencil skirts, white pantyhose, and sky-blue heels. By now, I knew the drill. Eddie called it in, and Nathan had no choice but to take them back the way we came. There was no way we were heading outside with three defenseless women. They were happy there was somewhere to hold up. It was down to Eddie, Thomas, and me again. If we came across more people, they'd have to hang with us until we returned.