CHAPTER TWELVE

ESCAPING THE WESTON

PART ONE

 

Sarge didn’t know what was coming, but he knew he didn’t want to wait around for it.

“Frank, once we’re somewhere safe, remind me to kill you!” Sarge said without a blink.

As the Fire from the makeshift bomb Frank had just unleashed had begun to spread, it tended to light up the whole lobby.

“Sarge, we need to move! This fire’s gonna make this hotel look like a freakin’ lighthouse to the undead! It’ll draw’em in like a bug light!” Dean surmised as he kept his eyes on the many that were starting to close in on them already.

Sarge hated to admit it as he began to yell orders, “We need a rear exit!” Shooting two or three down, he continued, “Dean, do you have eyes on the floorplan?”

Dean was, as usual, working on his laptop with one hand and taking out oncomers with the other.

“Working on it!” Dean shouted.

Donovan was coming around and standing on his own now. Sarge wasn’t sure if he was feeling better or if he was pumped with fear and adrenaline. The others were watching the recently dead but the kid suddenly had a different focus.

“Anybody need some water?” 

The others turned to see the young man downing a bottle of water and, after wiping his mouth off, began to energize his arm. Green lightning was starting to crackle over his arm muscles as he was looking more and more like himself.

“So, what’s all of this about a back door?” He said pointing to the rear of the lobby behind some desks. Clear to all was the rear exit they were all needing.

“Works for me!” Alex blurted as he brought his six shooters up and began to clear the way.

“It’s a plan people! Rollout!!” Sarge ordered and followed suit.

Even Lt. Dean had put the laptop up, “It heads to the dock area out back. We can double back around to the front and our destination.”

It didn’t take long till the team seemed to work in perfect synch dropping the undead obstacles left and right slowly making their way to the desks at the rear of the lobby. Rachel had pulled her shotgun out and relieved many of the monsters of their heads with deadly accuracy. Sarge was as impressed as he was ever going to be when it come to civilians. They were definitely making progress.

Donovan brought up the rear with Frank as he took his time downing bottle after bottle of water. With every gulp, the young man seemed to gain strength and his right arm glowed brighter and brighter.

Frank had stood there a little too long admiring his handy work; his handy work meaning the big flamijng hole in the front of the hotel. The heat and the flickering light across his face was both welcome. He just stood there, eyes closed; taking it all in. That’s when he heard the coming storm.

 

“Arrrrr!” Echoed across the lobby even though it came from outside.

Suddenly, Frank came alive. But upon spinning to make his exit, he realized he was surrounded by a hungry mob of bleeding, stumbling mob. He could feel the ground shake like a small earthquake and, suddenly finding himself between a rock and hard place, a wicked smile broke out across his twisted face.

As the flaming window wall behind him exploded in toward him, Frank pulled his samurai sword out and exploded into something usually only seen in a Japanese movie. One by one in blinding, speedy fashion, Frank took down every walking dead slouching his way. Sarge turned when the window blew and stood stunned; marveling at Frank’s hidden skill.

But soon, the military man’s attention went to what came through the window. It was huge, standing a good eight to nine feet tall. It was angry too. Sarge wasn't sure if it was the thing’s hunger that was driving it mad or the fact that it was now on fire. But, honestly, it seemed to be ignoring any pain it was feeling at all. It was hunting and it had found it’s prey.

This new monstrosity was obviously strong for, as soon as it entered the lobby, it destroyed everything in its path; furniture and his smaller brethren included. And, it was about to destroy Frank. But the idiot gave it no notice but continued slicing and dicing through the mob. Frank’s white shirt was soaked in blood now as was his face that still bore the most maniacal grin.


“He must be enjoying this, “ Sarge mused to himself, “But a little too much to my liking.”


Frank had just finished off the last of his ‘attackers’ when he came to his senses. It was either that or he was in the middle of a personality change. Wouldn't have surprised anyone present if he was some schizoid freak. As he turned to face the raging monster, Frank went from master Samurai to frightened child in a heartbeat. This thing had stopped in its tracks too possibly feeling his prey’s fear. Maybe it was savoring the aroma of the moment.


The hulking brute was a physical marvel indeed with muscles on his muscles. But his physical perfection reached overkill to the point of being a grotesque vision. The skin of this strange version of the resent dead was wrapped tight and stretched to a reddened limit of the skins elasticity. It was bigger from the waist up, but it was quick. And, even now, it would take the thing seconds to rip Frank in half. It seemed Frank knew that too.


After swatting away the few of the walking corpses that were between it and Frank, the thing meandered up to his prey knowing full well that it could never out run it. The others were frozen at their exit; Sarge and Dean targeting the thing in their scopes.


“Frank! Drop Down! I can’t get a bead on the thing from this angle!” Dean ordered to no avail.


Sarge, however, let a couple of shots ring out hitting his mark were the thing’s heart should have been. But, to the soldier’s surprise, it didn't even seem to register. It never flinched. It NEVER took its blood dripping eyes off of Frank.


“Good Lord!” Sarge exclaimed.


“Nothing good made that thing.” Alex blurted, “It came from hell itself.”


Rachel couldn't help but call out, “Frank run!!”


They all truly expected to lose the lunatic right then and there. And some of them were already rooting for the monster. But, as the huge, muscle-bound arm came down, the lobby was suddenly bathed with a familiar green, crackling lightning. Pushing Frank to the floor, Donovan jumped in, invigorated and ready to rumble. With the full power of the emerald energies coursing through his arm, the young mutant struck the monster with enough force to see in crashing through another window/wall.

Donovan turned to Sarge and the others, eyes on fire, and ordered, 
“Go! Quickly! I’ll hold him off!”


They each wanted to argue with him but they knew they couldn't and live. So, they filled out through the back door, one by one. Rachel stopped only long enough to see the creature get up and Donovan turn to face it. Sarge pushed her on and left Frank and the courageous teen in the lobby with that monster.


“I gotta get these people out of here and, I swear,” Sarge promised himself as he followed the others down a dark hall,  “I will be back for both of you.”