Fury Rising (36 page)

              She raised her gun, but didn’t fire. She didn’t have a lot of bullets and it wouldn’t do her any good to aim from such a distance. Clementine wasn’t going to fool herself and pretend she was anything except a lousy shot. Even at point blank range, she had gotten lucky killing the feral. Juan had tried to teach her, but a perfect eye was something she sorely lacked. What she needed was a weapon she felt comfortable using.

              She spotted the baseball bat almost immediately, about forty feet away, trapped beneath a body. Racing towards it, she dodged another feral as it chased after a Bagger. As she reached down to pick up the bat, someone crashed into her, sending her spiraling into the dirt. The gun flew from her hands and a pair of running legs kicked it further away.

              The feral wrapped its arms around her legs, clawing at her jeans as it worked its way up along her body. Her attacker was an older man with a huge gaping hole where one of his eyes used to be. She beat at him with her fists, trying to squirm out from beneath his body. The smell of body odor and decay overwhelmed her, making her gag. Oh god, she was going to toss her cookies while he killed her.

              She kneed him in the groin, but it didn’t even have the slightest effect. The feral only grunted and continued. His empty eye socket was full of dirt and as he his hands reached for her throat; she finally managed to roll over enough to get on her stomach. She could see the baseball bat just beyond her reach. She began crawling along the ground, trying to buck him off her back, but he wrapped his hands in her hair and yanked hard.

              Her fingers brushed against the baseball bat. But just as she almost had it, she watched in horror as someone bent down and picked it up.

              Nooooooooooo!

              Fingers scratched at her cheeks and she screamed. She kicked with all her might, but the feral only held on tighter.

              “Hey!”

              Something whooshed through the air and she heard the reassuring thunk as baseball bat met with skull. The feral slumped against her, shoving her back into the dirt, but when she kicked again, the body slipped off of her without a fight. A hand reached down and grabbed her arm, pulling her up.

              “You okay?”

              Jack stood over her, holding the baseball bat.

              She burped in reply. At least she didn’t throw up. She could still smell the feral’s scent all over her body.

              “Thanks,” she said.

              “Anytime. Have you seen Joy?”

              “No.”

              “Do you think she’s there?” Jack glanced back at the Casino. They’d closed the doors and there weren’t any more Baggers going in or out. It was impossible to tell how many humans had been rounded up and taken inside.

              “Aries has gone inside,” she said. “I’m going too.”

              “What?” Jack grabbed her arm as if he thought that would be enough to make her change her mind. “You’re not going alone. It’s too dangerous. I’m coming with you. Why on earth did you let Aries go by herself?”

              “You really think she gave me a choice?”

              A feral burst through a group of humans, screaming at the top of its lungs. Someone had stuck a knife through its shoulder. It ran straight towards them and Jack raised the bat, bringing it down on the feral’s head just as it reached for them both. This one was so covered in grime; Clementine couldn’t even tell if it was female or male. Although Jack got a direct hit, the creature didn’t even seem to notice. Staggering, it switched directions, moving away from them and towards two Baggers who began firing rounds until it collapsed in the dirt several feet away.

              “I think it’s time to move,” Clementine said. She looked down on the ground, hoping she might see where her gun had dropped. But it was long gone, swallowed up by thousands of sets of legs.

              “Here,” Jack said and he handed over the baseball bat. “You take it. I’ll find another.”

              “We’ve got an escape plan,” Clementine said. “See that big boat? We’re riding it out of here. The kids are already on board. Gather up as many people as you can and get them out there.”

              “I can do that,” Jack said. “If you see Joy before I do…”

              “I’ll make sure she gets there,” Clementine said.

              Jack paused, looking her straight in the eyes. “Don’t go in there, Clem. Just remember, the people are safe inside. The Baggers have that place locked up like a fortress. It’s the ones out here we need to worry about.”

              “The ferals will get in,” she argued. “There’s too many of them.”

              “And if you’re there when they get in, you won’t get back out.”

              That was a chance she was willing to take. But she nodded at Jack. She lied to him so he wouldn’t worry. Because there was a good chance Joy was inside there if Jack couldn’t find her. Maybe Larissa too. And all those other people. They might still have friends and family waiting on the outside. It was possible. And Clementine had no one. Not anymore.

              So it didn’t really matter if she risked her life. Michael was dead. Her brother missing. She had nothing to lose because everything had already been taken from her.

              Taking a deep breath, she held the baseball bat firmly in both hands and started running straight for the main doors. They were surprisingly unguarded. The group of Baggers guarding it had become overrun by the ferals. Many of them lay on the ground, covered in their own blood, their hands still gripping weapons. The ferals seemed to have no interest in guns. Maybe they felt they were too impersonal. Obviously tearing people apart with bare hands was more their style.

              She paused at the Casino doors and turned around. From where she stood, the Plaza was a nightmare of bodies. Many of which were still fighting. A group of humans and Baggers had formed a tight circle and were steadily holding their own at the front gates.

             
Well Heath, Leon and Aries got their wishes. Baggers and humans have come together. I guess we weren’t bluffing after all. But it won’t mean anything if we lose.

Was Leon inside, hiding out like a good coward until the fighting was over? Or had he already escaped like the slippery bastard he was? It was time to find out. Clementine grabbed hold of the door and pulled, half expecting it to be locked. To her surprise, it opened without any resistance.

Locked up like a fortress? Yeah, right.

No one shot at her. She took that as a good sign.

It was cool inside. And dark. She stepped through into the lobby. As the glass doors closed behind her, it blocked out all the sounds from the outside. A strange quietness settled over her.

“Hello?”

The word almost appeared to vibrate off the walls. Absolute silence answered her. She moved into the middle of the lobby, looking around. Where should she go? The hall seemed to go off in both directions. Where were they keeping the prisoners? Why hadn’t she thought to ask Mason about it? For the first time, she felt a twinge of annoyance within herself. She shouldn’t have asked Mason to go back and find Michael. She’d sent away the one person who could have actually been helpful.

How long would it be until they got back?

No point in thinking about it. She was on her own. Even if Mason marched through the gates that very second, he wouldn’t exactly be rushing to her side. He’d go looking for Aries. So would Daniel.

The realization made her feel very alone. It also made her feel like a terribly jealous and petty person. And it made no damn sense. She was risking her life to try and save everyone. So why did she feel like the bad guy?

I’m falling apart. Losing my mind. Look at me. I’ve got a death wish.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

She decided to go right. Off to the side, she found herself facing a large set of glass doors. Someone had painted over them so it was impossible to see where they led. She paused, her hand touching the handle, ears perked for any signs of life on the other side.

She’d gotten inside too easily. Where were all the Baggers? Why weren’t they protecting the building? They’d brought all the people in earlier for a reason. But where did they put them? She glanced around the foyer again, looking for signs of struggle. There wasn’t much. A few drops of blood on the ground and in the corner, someone had knocked over a planter. A freshly watered plant laid its side, roots exposed in a puddle of muddy water. But everything else was fine. The leather couch and chairs in the middle of the room looked like they’d been freshly polished. The glass table had a nice stack of outdated magazines.

This had to be some sort of trap, but what? What was waiting for her behind all that black paint? She pulled her hand away, wondering maybe if she should try going in the other direction. The baseball bat in her hands seemed like a stupid weapon. Why hadn’t she been able to keep hold of her gun? Even if she couldn’t shoot, it would at least look more menacing.

Had Aries gone this way?

Clementine took a deep breath and pushed open the door.

Aries

Getting into the Casino had been the easy part. With her hood pulled up to cover her face, she’d simply followed a few Baggers as they forced a pair of girls through the glass door. No one noticed her, especially since one of the victims was screaming bloody murder and putting up one hell of a fight. They pushed them through another door on the right and disappeared into the darkness.

Once inside the foyer, she froze, unsure of what to do. Several Baggers were organizing themselves in the corner, preparing their weapons to fight. They slipped past her out the door without giving her a second glance. No one bothered to stick around to guard the entrance and she was left alone in the oddly quiet building. Karen had told her to take the elevators, but she had no idea where to find them. She wasn’t about to stop and ask for directions.

Worried that her disguise might not hold out, she took a sharp left, heading straight for a sign that said ‘authorized personnel only’. She found herself in a narrow hallway that led further into the building. Taking a deep breath, she moved along the corridor. Hopefully she could find a staircase or service elevator to get her to the second floor.

              The first room she checked was full of dusty gambling equipment, including dozens of boxes of unused playing cards and poker chips. The second door led into an insanely large kitchen. She moved across the floor with its stainless steel appliances until she found a small room that probably used to be a manager’s office. There she found the very thing she needed more than a spare set of keys.

              Guns.

              She picked up the closest handgun and checked the clip the way Juan had shown her. It was fully loaded. She shoved it in her hoodie pocket and grabbed a second. It wouldn’t hurt to have an extra. For a moment she considered loading up the entire arsenal and heading back outside. If she managed to arm all the humans, they might not need the escape route. But after a moment’s hesitation, she decided against it. Time wasn’t on her side and the majority of people in the yard probably wouldn’t be able to properly use the guns if their lives depended on it, which of course it did.

              She pulled a few boxes down and looked through them, finding ample stocks of ammunition and more guns. At the very back, she found the explosives.

              And the timer attached was ticking down. Thirty minutes to go.

              “That’s not good,” she whispered.

              The clock continued to count down. Twenty-nine minutes.

              She turned and ran.

                                                        *              *              *

              She found the staircase at the end of the hallway. Taking the steps two at a time, she flung open the door to the second floor without bothering to check. Not surprisingly, she found the corridor empty. The Baggers had probably already vacated the building. They weren’t going to stick around.

              She wasted precious time trying to locate the elevator. Then she had to pause to remember Karen’s instructions. Two doors to the right or left? Was it three? The keys were essential now, getting that boat started might be the only thing to keep them alive once the countdown finished. She raced over to the closest door and tried turning the handle. Hands slippery from sweat, she couldn’t get a grip. Tears threatened to blur her vision and she blinked them back furiously. She wiped her palms on her pants and tried again.

              Locked.

              They were all going to die.

             
Think, Aries, think. Panicking isn’t going to help.

              She had to calm down. Taking several deep breaths, she looked back at the elevator and then back down the hallway. She moved over to another door and tried again. The knob turned easily in her hand, opening up to a large room. She stepped inside.

              She spotted the desk and immediately went towards it. Something sticky stuck to her feet and when she looked down, she found herself standing in a splatter of blood. Apparently housekeeping hadn’t bothered to clean up. Stepping around the mess, she reached the desk and began opening and closing drawers until she found it. A single key with a little inflatable keychain that would keep everything afloat if you accidently dropped them overboard. Shoving the whole thing into her pocket, she turned to leave.

              “I hadn’t forgotten about you, Aries. Not you.”

              Leon stood blocking the doorway. 

              She pulled out the gun and aimed it at his face.

              “Oh, come now. Do you want it to end like that? I’d expect better from you,” Leon said. “I appreciate the theatrics, but we both know you won’t shoot me.” He crossed the room, stepping past the blood, until he was only a few feet away from her.