Hellspawn | Book 8 | Hellspawn Vengeance, page 14
part #8 of Hellspawn Series
“That’ll do, Kurt!” Holbeck barked. “Everyone, move, move, move!”
The soldiers and civvies scrambled over the painting and bodies, ignoring as best they could the weakly grasping hands. The remainder of the pistol ammunition went into clearing a safe path through the zombies who still posed a threat. Greasy and Irish pushed past the soldiers, cutting a savage swath through the milling undead in the hallway.
“Come on!” urged Kurt, crushing the skull of a woman who had been bent in half by the blast.
“You’re a lunatic!” Holbeck exclaimed as he passed.
“I’m a husband and father,” Kurt countered.
When Jodi passed into the hall, Kurt swung the damaged door closed. It no longer sat in the frame, but it would hold for a few minutes at least.
Holbeck had already spied the box of 5.56 and ordered the troops to fill their mags.
“That was too close,” said Holbeck.
“We aren’t done yet, Sergeant!” yelled Kurt from the other end of the hall as he slammed the western door. “This is bedlam. I’m wondering if we need a different approach.”
“I’m all ears. In the meantime, everyone take a breather.”
The exhausted warriors fell into silence. Only the sound of the rhythmic snick of inserted brass could be heard over the moan of wind carrying through the broken windows.
Chapter 28
“Any chance we can change our minds?” asked Irish, sucking desperately on a smoke.
“Of course,” said Kurt. “Just tell the zombies you’ve had enough and they’ll let you out.”
“I really need to pack these in,” he replied, scowling in disgust at the cigarette.
“These are stressful times, mate. I don’t blame you for having a vice.”
“This vice will end up killing me,” Irish grumbled, tossing the half smoked butt. “Either from the big C or because I’m too out of breath to fight back.”
“You’ve done well so far.”
The builder scoffed. If the burning in his chest was anything to go by, he was almost out of the fight.
“Those doors are going to give way any time now,” said Holbeck. “What’s the next move?”
“We can’t hold the hall with two entrances. When we took this place we fought on the wall at the north of the castle. Two narrow walkways and a clear field of fire. No way for them to surround us.”
“Can we get to it?”
“Possibly. I’m just worried about how much time Sarah and the others have left.”
“She’s a survivor. I can’t imagine she isn’t safe somewhere.”
Kurt‘s racing mind considered the possibility. When he thought about all they had been through it became more probable. His circuitous thinking brought him crashing back to the gunfire. “What about the shots, though?”
“Sarah didn’t have guns, so it’s got to be the convicts,” Holbeck surmised.
“But… what if…?” Kurt faltered.
Holbeck knew what was on his mind. “Mate, I hate to be the one to say it, but if they were aimed at your people, then we’re already too late.”
Kurt slumped into a chair.
“You want my opinion?”
All Kurt could see was the long, lonely darkness ahead of him.
“She’s alive. Those gunshots were from the cons being attacked the same as we were. They might be nutters, but they aren’t suicidal. Why execute people when the bullets could be put to far better use?” Holbeck knew that in reality when the panic hit, nothing was off the table, but it served to put life back in Kurt’s eyes.
“I’ve got an idea,” he said, sitting upright.
“I’m all ears.”
“We use the watchtower to buy us time.”
“How?”
“It’s got one way in, and from there one way up onto the viewing platform.”
“That’s all well and good, but what for?”
“Two reasons. One, I want to see what the fuck’s going on with the portcullis. I can jump down the other side. I only wish we’d looked before circling around the castle.”
“And two?”
“We do a Pied Piper and call them to us.”
“You’re thinking of herding them inside?”
Kurt nodded.
“Ok, two things. How many do you think can fit, and how the hell do we get out when they start to follow us onto the viewing platform? Why not try and take them on the walls?”
A dark shadow passed over Kurt’s features. “We didn’t have the best time of it on the wall the last time we tried. I don’t want to jinx our survival by risking the same thing. It’s… I dunno… cursed.”
“Your dad?”
“Yeah. Anyway, what’s the rule in all the films I’ve watched?”
“Shoot.”
“Use an elevated position.”
“That only works in a firefight, mate. These things are a whole different enemy.”
“I know that! What I’m saying is that if we can block them from following us up onto the viewing deck, you can fire from above without risk. Fish in a barrel. It’ll be a good bit of target practice.”
“Or we can jump back inside the grounds and leave them there until we know what happened to the others?”
“That’ll work, but there’s one problem with that.”
“Which is?”
“The well’s in the watchtower. We’ve only just cleaned it out after someone fucked with it. We’ll have no access to water.”
“That sounds like a tomorrow problem,” replied Holbeck.
“Trap and run should give us the time we need.”
“Let’s do it!”
The soldiers waited patiently, their magazine pouches replenished.
“Which way will be easiest?” asked Holbeck. “Left or right?”
Kurt pointed towards the destroyed windows. “Straight down. We need to check with Denise that it could work first. If they’re unable to climb down for whatever reason, we’ll just have to roll the dice with the walls.” He lamented the fact that they hadn’t unsealed the north-east gatehouse since the prisoners had tried to ram through with their trucks. They could have just lured them out and away. Regret meant little. It was done now.
Holbeck did a quick mental calculation of the window position from their march across the grounds when they had arrived. “Wait, how far’s the drop?”
“Twenty feet, give or take.”
“Can you fly?”
Jodi emerged from one of the corners, hefting a coil of rope. “We have everything we ever needed in here.”
“Well colour me impressed,” said Holbeck.
The group started to stack furniture below the most damaged of the windows. Slivers of glass still hung from the lead lining. Kurt climbed up and quickly smashed it out of the way, making it safe. “Denise, can you hear me?” he shouted.
“We hear you! Are you ok?” she called back. “It sounds like world war three in there.”
“It’s been a bit of a slog. Listen, how quickly can you be ready to move out?”
“Move out? I thought you wanted us to stay put?”
“Plan’s changed. I want to open up your gate and trap the dead in there. Buy us some time to get to Sarah.”
“Gotcha. Where would we go?”
“Short term? Jump down from the north wall and head for the canal boat. Once we’ve cleared the place, then we can move back in and start the clean-up.”
“Kurt, how the hell did they get in?”
“No idea. We can worry about that later.”
“Right. We’ll be ready for you!”
Just as Jodi finished tying off the end of the rope to an anchor, the damaged door collapsed completely. The undead spilled into the room.
“Get your people over, we’ll buy you time!” ordered Holbeck as the soldiers took up position and opened fire.
Kurt helped Irish up onto the sill. “Keep watch down there. I don’t think they’re in the grounds, but you never know.”
“No worries,” said the builder, shimmying quickly down.
Jodi followed amidst the crackle of gunfire, dropping the last few feet before hefting the bat and watching the shadows.
Louise, Greasy, and Ian joined them in the darkness below. Kurt held the half empty ammunition container and waited for Ian and Greasy to prepare themselves. They stared up, hands outstretched.
“Go!” Ian called.
The box jingled with loose rounds as they caught it.
“Now you!”
Kurt ignored the call and ducked back inside. The wall surrounding the shattered door was painted shades of green. Streamers of skull laden goop ran down the stone. Bodies were gradually filling the entrance.
“Holbeck, get your people out of here!” said Kurt. “I’ll keep them back!”
“Crazy bastard!” Holbeck snapped as Kurt edged out into their line of fire.
“You’ve got a shit load more kit to carry! Get out of here!”
The soldiers slung their rifles and climbed towards the window. Kurt charged the decayed mass that looked like a rotting tumour growing from the castle. Black drool spilled from the open mouths of the truly dead. He tried to ignore the maggots crawling in what was left of their tongues. The group pressing forward into the room gave the impression of a hideous, blasphemous birth as each zombie writhed into being from the heaving corpse pile. Kurt grimaced at the vileness as he slay each new-born, slowing the flow to a trickle.
“Kurt! We’re done!” Holbeck shouted from the sill as he dropped out of sight.
Taking one last look at the devastation wrought by the prisoners, he raced for the exit vowing brutal retribution. The sturdy construction held his weight as he climbed up the furniture. A torch beam bobbed near the steep embankment under the watchtower. Swinging his legs over, Kurt slid down, allowing the thick gloves to absorb the friction. The end of the rope had been cut, the frayed ends flaring like a blossoming flower in the dirt. Jodi grunted from below the embrasures, throwing the remaining coil up to Gloria’s waiting hands. Kurt scurried up the bank, driving toes into the ice crusted grass to find purchase. At least two bum trails snaked down from lost footing, mashing the blades flat. Harkiss and Greasy looked sheepish as he reached them, their trouser bottoms soaked.
“Bit of a climb,” lamented the soldier.
“Would’ve been better with a toboggan,” Kurt chuckled.
“Ain’t that the truth,” muttered Greasy.
“Kurt, you’re up,” ordered Holbeck. “No discussions.”
“Yes, dad,” he replied, jumping and wrapping his feet around the rope.
Honey was a flurry of wagging tail and darting tongue when he finally climbed over. She jumped at him, knocking him flat. “Easy, girl, I’m covered in shit!” he laughed, tossing aside the visor. She went to work, kissing him all over, the force of her tail causing her entire rump to sway madly like a furry wrecking ball. “It’s good to see you too,” he said, pulling her close.
“Fuck me,” grunted Irish, wiping at his watery eyes. “Bit dusty up here.”
“This brave creature is Honey,” explained Kurt. “She’s been with us since the start of all this shit.”
“Hey there,” said Irish, kneeling down.
Sensing a new friend and the potential for more ear scratches, she hopped away from Kurt.
“You remind me of my Zeus. He was a good boy.” Irish fell silent, rubbing the ecstasy filled dog’s exposed belly.
Kurt could see the man’s faithful companion was another casualty of the apocalypse and patted him on the back as he passed.
“Nice of you to show up,” teased Gloria.
“We always like to make an entrance, you know that.”
She embraced him, cautious to avoid the more tainted portions of his jacket.
Holbeck joined them. “Kurt, let’s take a look around. Now we’re up here I can visualise it more easily.”
“Follow me,” he replied.
Honey whined at Irish, regretting the loss of his affection as she padded after her master.
“Not you girl, you stay,” said Kurt, pointing back at the builder.
Honey chuffed, bounding back towards Irish’s obliging strokes.
Chapter 29
The tour had taken less than two minutes. Kurt joined Holbeck at the gatehouse and looked down at the bare face of the castle. Eldridge and Dougal had scanned every inch of the windows, ready to engage the sniper. Wherever he was now, his scope wasn’t scanning their position any longer. Eldridge suggested the pops they’d heard earlier from within the castle were from the rifle which had pinned down Denise and Gloria. He had no reason to doubt her.
“Ewington’s back, Sarge!” Harkiss informed them.
“Report, Corporal.”
Ewington’s non-regulation beard fluttered in the crosswind. The threat of court-martial did nothing to stymie its growth. “The place is locked up tight. The portcullis is down.”
Kurt’s headache started to throb, threatening a migraine. “Then where the hell have they come from?”
“Another way in we didn’t know about?” asked Denise.
“Possibly, but thousands of them? You saw how narrow the secret tunnels were. It would take hours for this many to just wander in, and that’s if they could even find the entrance.”
“It’s a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma,” she replied.
“Where do I know that from?” asked Holbeck.
“Churchill,” said Denise. “Come on now!”
“I feel ashamed I forgot that.” Holbeck groaned. “And in the forces too, I’ll never live it down.”
“We can keep it between us, Sarge. Don’t worry,” Ewington offered.
“And what’ll it cost me, Corporal?”
Ewington looked away in thought, gently massaging his beard.
“Fine! Keep it! Just don’t be surprised when Haywood orders me in with the clippers!”
“You think he’s that keen on dying?” he countered.
“Careful, Corporal,” warned Holbeck. Banter was one thing, but there were limits.
“Sorry, Sarge. What’s the order?”
“The order is we need Eldridge up here to start making some noise.”
The blockage at the gate had been moved to the foot of the spiral staircase leading to the upper deck. The curve of the well wall had provided a decent surface to aid in the building. The protective steel latticework from the days of tourists had been laid back over the hole to try and prevent any zombies succeeding where Vincent had failed. Faecal matter was one thing. Kurt knew the process of decontamination from his experience on the tools. The taint a corpse would bring was another matter. One that would bring doubts, no matter the chemical readings in the test tubes.
Everything was as prepared as it could be.
“You’re up!” Holbeck ordered.
She moved to the wall and moistened her lips. Sticking fingers against her tongue, she blew a shrill wolf-whistle.
“Let me help, dear,” said Gloria, adding her own ear-piercing tune to the night.
They took turns for the first few minutes until the strongest of the undead staggered into view below. During the moments of blessed silence that followed, Kurt thought his mind had broken. His overriding need to be with Sarah conjured up spirits in his imagination. Squeezing his eyes tightly closed, he tried to banish the unwanted distraction of her vocal apparition.
Dougal stepped forward. “Can you hear that?” he asked, head cocked.
Holbeck held up a hand for quiet and joined him. The grin that broke out completely transformed the stern soldier. “Kurt! It’s Sarah!”
“Don’t do this to me,” he said, reeling until Denise steadied him.
“Listen!”
Kurt tried to focus. The wind kept changing direction, blowing across his ears like a flute, stealing the faint cries with a hiss of warning. Turning into the wind he cupped his right ear and listened. It was there! Someone shouting!
“Hello?” Sarah screamed with enough force to tear vocal chords. To Kurt it was little more than a whisper.
“Oh my god, it’s her! We’re coming, babe!” Kurt roared into the night. “Hold on!”
If she replied, the heavy gusts swatted them away. Kurt slumped to his knees, unabashed tears flowing. She was alive. If they had made it this long with the zombies controlling the castle, they could hold out for a while longer.
“Told you,” said Holbeck, squeezing one shuddering shoulder. “Ladies, it’s back to you.”
They resumed their siren song, luring the unwary zombies into the trap. The thousand year old staircase was thick with the dead. Holbeck maintained a watchful eye on the arch housing the well, and its lone access to their position. None of the gathering corpses seemed to even be aware that there was a way to get to the food, let alone start to work at the tightly packed equipment which blocked the way. Leaning over the handrail, the shocked survivors watched as the undead pressed ever tighter in the circular area. Several missed the hole for the old dungeon and went toppling down into the waning glow of the fire. Shoulder to shoulder, they crushed in, reaching towards the viewing deck until the muddy ground was no longer visible.
Holbeck started to consider the possibility they didn’t have enough room until Denise called out that the numbers had slowed to a trickle of the most ravaged creatures who were little threat anyway.
“I can’t believe it worked,” he exclaimed as Kurt joined him.
There was no sign of the weary deflation of before. Kurt was fully energised and ready to destroy whatever the castle threw at him. “I knew it would.”
“It’s so tempting to start dropping a few of these down on them,” said Holbeck, fondling the deadly sphere of the L109.
“Save it. We might need them. And besides, it’d be just our luck that they tear through the deck when they blow, dropping us down there to be dinner.”
“Fair point.” Holbeck pocketed the grenade and closed the flap. “Ready for the next part of the mission?”
